Jerome's Little Sister
by wolfshadowstorm
Summary: Jerome's little sister comes to Anubis and shakes things up. But she's hiding a secret...one that may just help solve the mystery. Jerome/Mara Jara, Fabian/Nina Fabina, Amber/Alfie Amfie, minor Patricia/Jason Winkler Pason. Written before season 2/Poppy
1. Chapter 1

I sigh as I packed by bags, sloppily throwing my somewhat gothic (mostly just darkly colored) clothes in there. I sat on the jet-black suitcase, finally getting it to shut. A week ago, I turned thirteen and that meant I was moving to the school my brother Jerome was at. I was going to live in Anubis House just like he did. I'd have to share a room with two of the girls, which was fine with me. Even though I wasn't supposed to be going to boarding school since that school was only fifteen and up, they made an exception because I'm pretty smart. I was smart enough to be bumped up to Jerome's grade level. Plus my dad just wanted to get rid of me. I put my extremely dark brown in a ponytail, my dark side bangs still spilling over my right eye, after changing out of my pajamas (grey sweatpants with a plain red shirt) into black skinny jeans and a plain white shirt covered with a thin black grey vest, which looked great against my perfectly tanned skin. As I looked into the mirror, my normally emotionless and sometimes cold brown eyes were filled with anxiety. I was really nervous about leaving. But, it's not like I begged my dad to go there; he's just trying to get rid of me so he can be happy with his newly wed blonde bimbo wife who HATES children. So as you can see, she hates me. Dad only wants to get rid of me because I remind him of Mum. He hates me because Mum died giving birth me. That's why Jerome hates me too.

"Hailey come on! We're going to be late if you don't hurry up", my father yelled at me. I stepped out of my small, uncomfortable bright yellow (ugh) room and out of my house, getting in the black car with the driver that would take me on the two hour journey to my new home and new life. My father and Sally waved good bye to me with fake smiles across their face as I drove off. I put in my purple and black earphones while I listened to my favorite bands: Paramore, Nickelback, and Hollywood Undead. All American bands I discovered on our monthly trips to California I got dragged too after some unscheduled explosions happened when I stayed home alone. Oddly, I was glad to be leaving home. Nobody at school liked me and I had no friends except Mitchel, but it was just because I was unafraid to be myself and not go along with the crowd, but I didn't care. I was sad to be leaving Bert's Pet Store though. I had a job there on the weekends and spent almost every waking moment there; I only used my house as a place to store stuff and sleep. Anyways, I really don't care I just want to be myself. After about two hours I arrived in front of a huge school. I stood there in awe before regaining my senses, slinging my black Jansport backpack over my back before grabbing all my other stuff, including two guitar cases. One held my black ibanez and the other held my black acoustic guitar. I wrote a lot of songs and I'm a pretty good singer. A pretty girl with dirty blonde hair that was wavy walked up to me with a guy with brown hair that hung right above his eyes who was about half an inch taller than the brown-blonde girl.

"Hey are you Hailey Clark?" the girl asked. I replied with a small nod. "Cool. I'm Nina Martin, from America, and this is Fabian Rutter. I guess you're staying in House of Anubis with us", she explained with a bright, genuine smile. Like her accent didn't give it away.

"Yeah no offense but why are you staying in Anubis with us. You look really young?" he asked in a curious manner.  
>"I-my brother lives in Anubis. Jerome. So my parents wanted me to come here to be with him", I explained quietly.<p>

"Jerome has a sister! How come he's never told anyone? Oh well, that's cool that you get to live with your brother. Let's take you to him", Nina said excitedly. I gave a small nod and walked behind her into a big, wooden, ancient looking home. "Victor said you'd be sharing with me and my friend Amber so Fabes and I will help you take your bags there if that's alright", she added on the last part quickly. Fabian took my big black suitcase while Nina took my small black suitcase and headed up into my new room. On the west and east side of the room were two girly looking beds and in the north corner was an empty wall behind a plain, small bed.

"Thanks", I murmered to Nina and Fabian as I started to unpack. The wooden bed had drawers on the side where I'd store my stuff. I threw on the gray comforter covered with neon blue and neon purple stars (go to and look at the SO Cal pretender bedseat) along with the matching pillows. I hung up various posters of the bands I mentioned earlier along with a few others. I unpacked all my clothes and put them away. Lastly, I grabbed the two guitar stands out of my backpack and put them by my bed. I smiled as I looked at the small corner that was now my home. I heard the door open and Nina came in.

"Do you want a tour of the house?" she said, Fabian peeking over her shoulder. I gave a small half-smile and nodded, following her out the door. I noticed both of them were somewhat matching, both wearing dark skinny jeans and a grey top. Nina had a purple undershirt covered by one of those grey tops that kind of shows your shoulder while Fabian had a grey t-shirt with a purple hawk flying on it.

"You play guitar?" Fabian asked.

"Yeah, I've been playing since I was six years old", I told him with a real smile on my face. I couldn't help it; evertime I talk about music I couldn't help but smile.

"Cool...I dabble a bit in it but I prefer bass guitar", he explained. I gave another half-smile and nodded.

"This is Patricia and Mara's room", she said, pointing at the door down the hall. "And that's the bathroom", she said pointing at the other door. We walked down the stairs and she showed me around the ground floor before leading me to the boys dorms. "That's Mick and Fabian's room and that over there is Jerome's and Alfie's room", she said before pointing towards the bathroom. Suddenly, Jerome came out with a thin boy with black skin and big brown eyes came trailing out behind him. Then, he glanced towards me, freezing as we locked eyes. "Jerome! Hey you're sister's here!" Nina said excitedly.

"Great", Jerome said sarcastically, not even glancing towards me.

"H-hi Jerome", I meekly said, getting a small glare in return. He turned around to walk away, when Fabian stopped him.

"Dude that's your sister. You could at least say hi", Fabian defended me.

"Hi", Jerome said in a sarcastic and menacing tone before stomping off past me in a angry way, with the boy who I'm guessing is Alfie following him. Nina and Fabian shot a worried glance towards me.

"Forget it", I muttered to them, and they looked away, clearly embarrassed about what they witnessed.

"So now I guess it's time for you to meet the gang", Nina told me, trying to clear past the awkwardness. I solemnly nodded before following her into the common room, where a bunch of teenagers were hanging out. "You guys!" Nina yelled, clapping her hands together which got their attention. "This is Hailey. She'll be living in Anubis from now on. She is rooming with me and Amber", she explained. "Hailey, this is Mara, Amber, Patricia, Alfie, um...yeah, Mick, our house mom Trudy and the head of our house...our guardian I guess Victor", she said pointing to each person, saying the 'um yeah' as she pointed to Jerome. That really nice-looking Trudy lady gave me a warm smile and came over to give me a hug. "You guys meet Hailey Clark", Nina added on.

"Clark...as in Jerome's sister?" one girl, Mara I think, asked.

"Forget it Mara", Jerome said before angrily walking back to his room. A few seconds later we all heard a door slam.

"Jerome has a sister? Hahahahahaha. Got any embarrassing secrets about him?" Alfie asked intently with a warm smile.

I shook my head, trying to hide my sad face at mention of Jerome. He gave a small nod and leaned back into the dark red sofa. That Mara girl came over to me.

"Hi", she said shyly.

"Alright Hailey why don't you get to know everyone and Fabian and I are gonna do some chores", Nina said while waving good-bye before walking out the door, dragging Fabian along with her.

"I expect Ms. Martin and Mr. Rutter haven't told you the rules. You must have lights out by ten o' clock and you're expected to do your fair share of chores. Trudy will assign them to you. Also, you may not under any circumstances venture your little self in the attic and/or the cellar", Victor ordered menacingly.

"Yes sir", I said, looking him straight in the eye with a small nod.

A small grin mused at his face. "Sir...I like that", he mumbled before the angry look sketched itself upon his face again as he walked off, carrying a creepy stuffed black bird with him.

" 'Yes sir'. Well you've clearly made a good impression upon Victor. Good choice", Trudy said with a warm smile. "Well, I should start making supper now. Come and talk to me anytime if you'd like", she offered sweetly before turning around to walk to the kitchen.

"Wait- what are my chores?" I asked, earning laughs from everyone.

"Don't worry about it today. I'll have Nina drop you off the schedule later", she said with another warm smile before walking back to the kitchen.

"So...", Patricia said awkwardly.

"You're so cute!", Amber said, pinching my cheeks. I gave her a weird look. "Oh my gosh I've always wanted a little sister that I could dress up like a doll", she squealed.

"Um...", I said trying to find a way to tell her I'm not a girly-girl and wouldn't do that without being rude and making a bad first impression.

"I don't think she'd like that Amber", Patricia said, saving me. I breathed a sigh of relief and shifted my weight onto my left foot, standing there awkwardly.

"So where are you from?" Mick asked.

"Same place as Jerome dummy! She's his sister, duh!", Patricia butted in.

"Whatever Trixie. So what do you like to do?" Mick asked.

"Um, I like music. I play guitar, bass, piano, drums, violin, and a bunch of other instruments and I like to read and write", I answered timidly.

"Reading and writing is so boring! It's like...work", Amber said. I grinned at her answer.

"What kind of music?" Mara asked.

"Mostly rock. You know, like Three Days Grace, Anberlin, Hollywood Undead", I explained.

"Oh...that's cool", from the way Mara replied I guess she had no idea whatsoever who those bands were."Come on Hailey. I'll show you the campus", she offered, Patricia standing up to come with. So, we went on a tour of the campus and I met all the teachers. Finally, it was supper time and we went back to the house. They all finally left me alone for a few minutes so I went to the boys dorms and tapped on Jerome's door. He opened up and once he saw it was me he glared.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"Y-you didn't come home for Christmas", I explained while holding out a rather large parcel in green wrapping paper. He hastily grabbed it and unsurely looked at it, turning it around in his hands as if inspecting it. "Open it", I urged. He carefully opened it to see a brand new skateboard I saved up for months for. It had black grip tape and on the bottom it was black and in neon blue it said Jerome. It cost so much because it was custom made. "I got it custom made", I told him with a smile.

"Oh, um thanks", he said awkwardly. I gave him a quick hug, and he stood there stiffly. "I hope you realize two things. One, it's February. A little late for Christmas gifts. Second, I didn't get you anything", he said coldly.

"I know, and as for the second reason it's fine", I said quickly.

"Good night", he said once again in the cold tone I hated before slamming the door in my face, but I stopped it with my foot.

"It's not my fault Jerome! If I had a choice, you know I would have chose her over me", I hissed fiercely as he slammed the door in my face.

Then I heard a female voice say, "She's your little sister you could at least be a little nicer towards her Jerome". I recognized Mara's small and timid voice.

"You wouldn't understand Mara!", I heard him exclaim.

"Maybe I don't understand exactly what's going on but at least be kind to her! You don't have to be such a jerk", Mara yelled.

"You see? That..thing hasn't even been here a day and she's alreading messing up my life", angrily refuted Jerome. With that sentence I quickly and quietly tip-toed away up to my room and lay down. After a few minutes of calmly lying there, I got up and went down to the kitchen were I saw Trudy getting plates, forks, knives, spoons all that stuff out of a cupboard.

"Would you like some help with that?" I offered meekly.

"Oh thank you dear. Your so kind", she flashed me a huge smile while I took all the stuff and set the table.

"S' no problem", I mumbled modestly. "You need help with anything else?"

"No, I'm good dear. Actually, do you mind telling everyone it's time for supper", she said, patting my cheek in a motherly way. I flashed her one of my extremely reserved genuine grins before running to my room to go tell Nina and Amber. As I opened the door, I saw Nina looking irritated and frustrated and Amber who looked perky and excited.

"Just admit it!" Amber yelled towards Nina in sort of a teasing manner. Both were lying on their beds.

"Oh hey Hailey", Nina said, finally noticing me.

"T-Trudy told me to tell you guys it's supper time", I said, still shy around my new house mates. I never got along with kids; I'm more compatible with adults. They both said a quick 'thanks' and went to go tell the guys. I went and knocked on Patricia and Mara's room and Patricia opened up.

"Hey...Hailey right?" she asked, a bright blue streak evident against her auburn hair. I gave a small nod.

"Trudy wanted me to let you know it's supper time", I said, even more shy around these girls than my roommates. They both muttered a quick thanks and ran out. I quietly followed them down at sat in a chair as far away from Jerome as possible. It was a table that seated ten people. Nina sat at the head of the table, Fabian at her left and Amber at her right. Next to Amber was Patricia, and next to Patricia was Alfie. Next to Fabian was Mick, Mara, and then Jerome. I was next to Alfie. While everyone was chatting exciteably, I uncomfortably ate my delicious meal of chicken and potatoes.

"So Hailey, how did you get in? Nina tells us you are only thirteen after all", Mick asked.

"Well, I really like school and I'm good at it, I guess. Plus my dad wanted me to be with Jerome", I explained, my cheeks turning a dark red as everyone turned their attention to me.

"Oh great so it's Dad's fault I'm stuck with you", Jerome glared venomously at me.

"Jerome just shut up okay? Gosh you're such a jerk she's only thirteen what could she possibly have done?" Patricia butted in. Jerome angrily threw the tan napkin off his lap and onto the table before he stomped out.

"What happened? I've never seen Jerome that upset", Alfie asked in a small voice. I sigh.

"It's complicated", I said seriously.

"I better go after him", Alfie threw off his napkin in a similar manner to Jerome and walked away.

"So what classes will you be taking?" Mara asked inquisitively.

"Well, um, here's my schedule", I said, handing here the perfectly folded white piece of paper in my jeans pocket. She passed it around.

"You have the same schedule as all of us!", Amber exclaimed.

"All house members always have all of the same classes except for elective and foreign language, because those depend on your choice", Fabian explained. I nodded and finished up my meal. I grabbed my silverware, Alfie's, and Jerome's and put them in the sink. After everyone finished, I helped Mick with the dishes quietly before running up to my room. After Amber and Nina explained to me about the school and the house for a while, then Victor said something about a pin dropping and I changed into black gym shorts and a red t-shirt before curling into the soft covers and drifting off to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2: Somewhere I Belong

The next morning, which was Sunday, I awoke at the normal time, 5:30. I got up, quickly showered and changed into gray ultra skinny jeans and a black and white baseball tee with a black star in the middle. I ran downstairs, grabbing the silverware and setting the table as quietly as possible, so not to awaken anyone. I grabbed my book 'Beastly' and started to read while comfortably curling up on the red leather couch. After about half an hour, Trudy came downstairs.

"Oh my! Sweetie, did you set the table?" she asked.

"Yes. Do you need any help with anything?" I asked.

"Oh no sweetheart I'm good", she responded.

"Are you sure? 'Cause if there's anything I can do just let me know", I offered.

"You're too sweet", she chuckled, to which I responded to with a blush, getting another small laugh out of her. She went into the kitchen and started cooking breakfast. "Anything you fancy for breakfast?" she called out.

"Whatever you make'll be perfect", I responded, getting yet another huge smile out of her. So, I continued reading for a while before everyone started coming down to eat. I closed the book, folding the edge of the page to keep track and sat down in between Patricia and Nina and silently ate, ignoring Jerome's death glare. Then Mara kicked his leg under the table, getting him to temporarily transfer his glare to her before dropping it.

"So you nervous for the start of school?" Mara asked.

"Of course you'd ask about school Mara", Alfie mumbled, causing Mara's grin to drop. Jerome gave him a glare. I was starting to get an idea that he liked her. They'd be really cute together.

"Yeah, I guess", I shrugged. Patricia, Nina, and Amber were whispering about something, Jerome and Alfie were talking about pranks, Mick and Fabian were talking about sports, and Mara was quietly eating her toast. "So are the classes hard?" I asked her.

"I guess it depends what you're strong points are. But I'd say on a scale of one to ten they're about a seven point five", she mused.

"Cool. Are the teachers nice?" I inquired again.

"Yeah. They're strict, but only if you get on their bad side".

I nodded and then after a while about talking about random stuff about the school, breakfast was over. "What does everyone do on weekends?"

"Well, it depends who. Mick normally goes out to do sports, Jerome and Alfie go play pranks", she rolled her eyes, "Amber, Nina, Patricia, Fabian, and sometimes Alfie and Jerome go out together. I don't know what they do. And I just do homework and stuff". At the part where she talked about what she did, a sad expression came onto her face.

"Oh. Alright", I responded lamely. I know most people are like 'you should be nice and hang out with her' but she wouldn't wanna hang out with a twelve year old. She's sixteen! No sixteen year old would wanna hang out with a little kid.

"Do you wanna hang out?" she asked, almost embarrassed.

"Sure. What do you wanna do?" I wondered.

"Um, I don't really know. Talk?" she suggested. I nodded, we went and sat on the couch, and then she asked, "I don't mean to pry or anything, but what happened between you and Jerome?"

"It's just...Mum", I tried to explain without telling her what happened, 'cause I knew Jer wouldn't want me to tell anyone about it.

"Oh", she said, her face contorting into a frown. So, we just talked about other random stuff for a while before it was lunch. Lunch was kinda like breakfast, same conversation groupings. After lunch, instead of hanging with Mara I went up to my room and booted up my Macbook Pro. I went on my email account, and I saw my only and best friend Mitchell was online. He taught me how to play drums. His dad owns Bert's Pet Shop, so we always hung out there when we worked.

**Thelordofawesome75: hey **

**Guitargoth98: hey**

**Thelordofawesome75: so howz boarding school?**

**Guitargoth98: pretty good. the kidz in my house r nice. but jerome's not happy 2 c me :(**

**Thelordofawesome75: nervous for classes 2moro?**

**Guitargoth98: I guess...kinda**

**Thelordofawesome75: it'll b okay...so who r the people in your house?**

**Guitargoth98: There's Mick, Mara, Jerome, Alfie, Nina, Fabian, Amber, and Patricia**

**Thelordofawesome75: oh, they nice?**

**Guitargoth98: yeah...they're all 16 just like Jer**

**Thelordofawesome75: cool...so any of the girlz hot?**

**Guitargoth98: lolz u would like 2 know **

**Thelordofawesome75: Send me some pics l8r. So, you met anyone ur age?**

**Guitargoth98: Nobody my age here...it's like 15 and up, so i'm the youngest here :/**

**Thelordofawesome75: Hey I gtg, someone wants to buy a puppy**

**Guitargoth98: kk bi. talk 2 u l8r**

**Thelordofawesome75 has logged off. **

I sigh as he logged off. It was nice talking to my best friend. He was the only thing I missed from home. I never told anyone this, but I like him a little bit. He has tousled brown hair that hung over his dark gray eyes, was tall and lanky, and had a cute little smirk that shows up all the time. He was a total rocker, as well as a skater, just like me. I remember the day when we first met.

**Flashback**

**I was walking home from school, when I heard a frightened cry and a menacing laugh coming from the alley. Some third graders were cornering this guy in my class against a wall. The biggest guy there threw a punch and it landed on the guy...Mitchel I think. I slipped inside the alley and crept up behind the guy. His idiot friends didn't see because he was in the back. I tapped on his shoulder and as soon as he turned around, I threw a punch as hard as I could and it landed right on his eye. As he was screaming and his friends were tending to him, I grabbed Mitchel by the arm and we ran all the way to the hidden pond by my house. **

**"Thanks for saving me", he gratefully said.**

**"It's alright", I mumbled humbly. **

**And from that moment on, we became the best of friends. **

**Flashback over**

Since I was really bored, I grabbed my black acoustic guitar and played a little. Just strumming random chords, playing random solos from random songs, it was all just random. After about an hour of that, I got kind of bored and set down the guitar back on it's stand. I then booted up my Macbook again, plugged in headphones, and watched random episodes of Dr. Who until about five o'clock when Nina, Fabian, and Amber came in. They didn't notice me and Nina grabbed a small bag and went to the bathroom. They sigh heavily as they stared at their hands, and I said, "Hey"

"Ah!" they both yelled in fright.

"Oh my gosh Hailey! Don't ever scare me like that again! Scaring people can give them wrinkles!" Amber whined before examining her forehead in the mirror.

"Okay then", I said awkwardly, as Fabian gave her a disbelieving look. A few moments later, Nina walked in wearing a black dress with a black blazer type jacket covering her arms, as well as a sad look on her face. "What's wrong?" I asked, noticing the same solemn expressions on their face.

"Nothing, it's fine", Fabian lied (terribly). I just shook my head and continued to watch. Fabian and Amber each gave Nina a big hug and then Patricia and Alfie barged in, talking about some person named Joy and a dad with a mask before realizing I was there. I pretended to check my phone, grabbed my laptop and slipped it into it's huge, bulky black case before waving good-bye and leaving. I went into the living room where Mara and Mick were yelling at each other.

"Mick I told you, we just bring out the worst in each other. I'm sorry Mick, but we're finished for real", Mara shouted, her voice dropping into a sad tone at the end.

"Fine Mara! Be difficult! I'll just go back to Ams!" Mick yelled at her before stomping off. Mara collapsed on the couch, tears streaming down her face. I crept up and sat on the couch by her, comforting her.

"It's gonna be okay", I promised. She sigh as she stopped crying, and then gave me a grateful hug before going back to her room. I ran to Jerome's room and tapped on the door. Alfie opened up.

"Oh hey!" he said with a cheerful smile on his face. "Jerome!"

Jerome walked up to the door, and when he saw me his smirk turned into an angry glare. "What do you want?"

"Look Jer, I don't have time for your attitude. I just think you should go talk to Mara. She and Mick had an argument", I told him. He nodded, shoving past me and running up to Mara's room. I walked back into the living room where I left my laptop case on the couch, and played a couple games on it for a while. Then before I knew it dinner came. It was really awkward between Mara and Mick, and Nina had this depressed look on her face as did Fabian and Amber. Everyone else was fine, though Alfie and Patricia were a little less cheery. It was really weird. I finished and helped Nina with the dishes before going back to our room and taking out Beastly so I could finish the book. I'm a really fast reader, and by 9:30 I was finished. I slowly got ready for bed, putting on blue and green plaid pajama pants with a black t-shirt with a white stallion running across it on and crawling into bed.

I took a while to fall asleep, as I was super nervous about the next day. Finally I managed to fall asleep and I woke up at 5:30 again and got ready. I put on the weird uniform and went downstairs. I quietly set the table once again and took a piece of paper out of my notebook and starting writing down notes on the guitar, charting this song I learned called 'Stricken' by Disturbed. I wanted to write it down before I forgot it. Soon, Trudy came down. She thanked me again and started to cook. We chatted about school for a while until everyone else came down and started eating. We all ate out waffles quietly, and I walked to class with Mara. I met all the teachers and they were really nice. The work was kind of hard like Mara said, but no more of a challenge than school should be. I went back to the house and sat on the couch, doing my homework. First I started with Geometry, which was surprisingly not as hard as I expected. There were about two or three problems I didn't understand, but I skipped those and moved on to a descriptive writing assignment about your favorite hobby. I spent about half an hour writing the three-page assignment on playing the guitar. I absolutely love writing. English and Literature are my definite strong points. Especially poetry. I guess poetry is easy for me because of my love for songwriting. At around 4:30 Mara came and sat down across from me.

"Hey Hailey! How're you doing on your homework?" she asked, concerned.

"It's not that hard...but do you mind helping me with a few Geometry questions? They're just really confusing", I pleaded.

"Of course", she replied with a warm smile, snapping shut her French book and coming over to help me. She kindly explained the problems to me, and I thanked her. Then I took out my French worksheet, easily completing it. I speak French and Latin fluently, and I was learning Greek before I went to Anubis. "Whoa!" Mara's mouth hung open.

"What?" I asked, looking around worriedly.

"How'd you do that French worksheet so easily? Without the book or any help?" she asked in awe.

"I speak Latin and French kind of fluently. I was learning Greek before I came here", I responded, filling in the last answer before putting it back in my folder. Her eyes momentarily widened before going back to her worksheet. She frowned as she stared at question three for about two minutes before I came over and sat next to her. "Don't focus on the whole question. Pick out the key words, figure out what those mean, and then work on the pronouns and you'll figure it out. Same when they give you the answer and you have to find the question", I explained in a hushed tone before sliding all my books back in my backpack and going back to my room. I changed out of the uniform into a pair of gray skinny jeans and a purple plaid shirt and booted up my laptop, hoping to see Mitchel online. Thankfully, he was.

**Guitargoth98: hey mitch**

**Thelordofawesome75: hey hailz**

**Guitargoth98: hows school going?**

**Thelordofawesome75: good...I've started hanging out with James and Gabe**

**Guitargoth98: Wat? Why would you hang out with them? R u nuts?**

**Thelordofawesome75: srry :( I just wanted someone to hang out with...I know they used 2 tease us but they're actually pretty cool once u get 2 no them**

**Guitargoth98: I doubt that**

**Thelordofawesome75: I promise! Hey maybe when we videochat I'll call them over...we can all hang out :)**

**Guitargoth98:fine...but only for u! not 4 those losers**

**Thelordofawesome75: thx! hey so how r things with Jerome? He still mad at u?**

**Guitargoth98: Yeah. U no if I had a choice I would have chose Mum over me right?**

**Thelordofawesome75: of course! but you need to tell Jerome that...you also need to tell him that at least he has someone to blame, but it's all on you on this one. but it's okay! it's not like u had a choice!**

**Guitargoth98: thx Mitch...you always make me feel better**

Suddenly I heard a door open and Nina and Amber came in, chatting about school. They quickly greeted me, and me to them, before sitting on their beds and starting their homework.

"This is boring", Amber randomly stated before slamming her math book shut and coming over next to me. "What are you doing?" she asked curiously as I replied to Mitch's message.

"Just chatting with a friend from home", I cheerfully answered.

"Ooh it's a boy. Are you guys like dating?" she excitedly asked, flipping her blonde hair to the side.

"Ew! Me and Mitch? Dating? You're kidding right?" I asked, starting to laugh when I saw she was dead serious.

"Well- I needed someone to have romance since Nina and Fabian aren't making progress", she complained.

"Amber!" Nina hissed.

"Wait, Nina and Fabian aren't dating?" I was shocked. I seriously thought they were.

"See Nina? If you and Fabian aren't gonna date, then at least stop making it so obvious".

"Sorry Nina, I thought you guys were dating", I apologized sheepishly.

"It's okay Hailey", she forgave me.

"So do you like him? Don't tell me if you don't want to", I quickly added on the last sentence. Catching the worried look on her face, I promised, "I won't tell anyone".

A deep scarlet blush painted itself on her cheeks. "Yeah".

"I knew it! I knew it!" Amber pranced around the room singing. Nina and I both started laughing.

"Time for supper!" I heard Trudy call. We all rushed downstairs and took a seat, eating the pasta ravenously while chatting and joking around happily. It was really fun. For once, I felt a sense of belonging. I found my place in the world, and my family, in the house of Anubis.


	3. Chapter 3: The Secret of Death

A month passed, and I really liked it in Anubis. Then one day I found out something. After dinner, Nina, Fabian, Jerome, Alfie, Patricia, and Amber all went in our room. Mick went to his room, and Mara and I hung out for a little bit. We were talking about books and reading, and I told her about this one book. I ran to go get it and then I paused at the door, pressing my ear against the cold, smooth wood.

"What are we going to do?" Nina asked worriedly.

"Look, if I don't give him a piece, he's going to kill me", I heard Jerome hiss.

"Maybe we can trick him?" Fabian suggested.

What are they talking about? Whose going to kill my brother?

"Maybe...Rufus is smart. But for now we need to focus on protecting the puzzle pieces", Nina commanded.

"Wait-Nina. I was reading something last night. There are seven puzzle pieces. And there are seven Ankh pieces. Maybe when the puzzle pieces are put together in a certain way, they form the cup", Fabian suggested.

"So what you're saying is that these could be the Ankh pieces? And when they're put together by this...chosen one, they could form the cup", Alfie asked.

"That's exactly what I'm saying", Fabian answered.

"And Joy; she's the chosen one!" Patricia yelled. What the heck is going on? Though I knew I should probably get back to Mara, I was curious about what they're talking about.

"Yeah now that we got all that figured out, what am I gonna do about Rufus? He's gonna hurt me, maybe even kill me, if I don't get him the pieces", I heard Jerome angrily say.

"I don't know yet Jerome but we'll figure out something", Nina promised.

"Alright, um meeting over I guess", Fabian dismissed.

"Sibuna", they all chanted. Then I heard their footsteps, and I quietly ran into the bathroom as the door opened and they all bustled out. Through a crack in the door I saw Amber, Alfie, Jerome, and Patricia. Nina and Fabian were probably still in the room. As they all went down to the common room, I slipped out of the bathroom, their words echoing in my mind. I grabbed my book and ran back downstairs.

"Sorry", I apologized to Mara. "It took a while to find; it was hidden".

"That's alright. So what's it about?"

"Well there's this kid my age named Percy. His dad is the Greek god Poseidon..." I went on for a while, explaining about the Percy Jackson series. I looked at the small black watch sitting upon my left wrist to see the neon blue glowing numbers saying 9:45. "Hey it's 9:45; we better get ready for bed".

"Okay thanks", Mara said, clutching 'Lightning Thief' in her hand. I gave a small smile before lightly sprinting back up the stairs and changing into red and black plaid pajama pants and a black AFI t-shirt I got in California. I brushed my teeth and combed my hair, then I realized I had 10 minutes left before bedtime. I grabbed my guitar. I played the chorus of 'Love Like Winter' by AFI.

_It's in the blood_

_It's in the blood_

_I met my love_

_Before I was born_

_She wanted love_

_I taste of blood_

_She bit my lip_

_And drank my war_

_From years before_

_From years before_

I continued playing until I played the song perfectly. Each time I managed to switch to the chords faster and with more ease, and right when Victor said that thing about a pin dropping, I played it perfectly. Little did I know Nina and Amber were listening to my playing and extremely soft singing.

"Wow", Nina whispered.

"Oh my gosh, Hailey you're amazing. You should totally be a rockstar or a pop star", Amber babbled, but she was dead serious. I blushed, and put my black acoustic back on it's stand.

"I didn't know you guys were listening", I mumbled, the scarlet blush still decorating my cheeks.

"That was really good", Nina complimented.

"Thanks" I crawled into my bed, resting my head on my pillow. Amber and Nina both went to bed. And for once, I went to bed knowing I found a home. A place I belong. And that feeling is extremely precious, and something I've never felt before. And ever since I got here, the ghosts have been leaving me alone. Sometimes I see the ghosts of dead people. I've never seen Mum before, but I've tried. Every time I see a ghost, my head feels like it's gonna explode. I get such a bad migraine I can barely stand. I can also how alive a person is. Every person shines gold, but as they grow older a gray mist starts to appear. And when someone's about to die, a black mist starts to appear. When they're dying or dead, there's a powerful and thick jet black mist completely covering them. What I was confused about was that Victor has a black mist all over him. He's supposed to be dead. Same with Mrs. Andrews and Mr. Sweet. Their time to die has passed, and somehow they've avoided death. I can also see how a persons going to die. Victor was supposed to die of old age, Mrs. Andrews of a heart attack, and Mr. Sweet of rolling down a hill and breaking his neck due to his cane he was supposed to use when he got old snapping. But somehow they've avoided it and they're all supposed to be dead. It was just so confusing! Once in a while I'd try to contact my mum but I just saw a bunch of other dead people. I slowly drifted off to sleep, those thoughts replaced by the sweet dreams containing my mum alive and me, Jerome, and Dad all being a happy family, loving one another and just being extremely happy. When I awoke the next morning, I had tears on my face. Luckily, I was the first one up so I quickly wiped the tears of longing away and got dressed for school. Every night for that whole week I listened, hoping I'd hear more about Rufus, the Ankh, the cup, and the 'chosen one'. I didn't manage to get any information. But I did a bit of research, and found stuff about the cup of Ankh. It's a mystical cup said to give whoever drinks an elixir of life out of it immortality. Was this real? Or were they chatting about some stupid movie or video game? No, I shook my head, by the desperation in Jerome's voice and the serious atmosphere they all gave off, I knew it was real. I continued finding out more and more for about two weeks. By then, I'd become really close friends with Mara. Jerome still hated me, but I felt accepted. I was pretty close with everyone, especially Mara and Nina. Then one Saturday I heard them all talking about how they were going to go into the cellar. And I made a plan to follow them. So, I stayed up all night, pretending I was asleep. When I heard Nina and Amber sneak out, I followed them out, wearing dark navy blue gym shorts and a black t-shirt with the Japanese symbol for death on it. I paused as they all met up. One by one, Alfie, Amber, Patricia, Jerome, Fabian, and Nina went into the cellar. I slipped through the door when nobody was looking and Nina closed it, but I was hiding. I quickly hid back into the spot they'd obviously hide. I pressed my body against the wall as I crouched under an old wooden stand holding a few vials of some type of green liquid on it. They all came and hid against the wall. They looked around to see if it was safe. I shifted into a more comfortable position, and unfortunately Fabian's eye caught the movement.


	4. Chapter 4: Into the Flames

**Hey it's Hailey! Just wanted to add a disclaimer: I don't own the show, the characters, the mystery, Sibuna, the songs, or whatever real life things I mentioned. **

"Who's there?" he asked, clearly scared and looking as if he was going to pee his pants any minute.

"Relax- it's just me. Hailey", I reassured him.

"Hailey what are you doing here? Leave now!" Jerome whisper-yelled, but then we heard footsteps as Victor and a bunch of other people entered. As they came down the stairs, I shrugged and leaned back as if to stay there but Nina motioned me over. I quickly crawled over and sat next to Amber. I quickly peeked out, to see Victor and the teachers putting on robes. Then they started chanting as someone put on some type of dog mask. No-it was a jackal. Anubis, the god, had the head of a jackal and the body of a human. So it was most likely a jackal. I took out my IPhone Dad gave me when he dumped me here and videotaped it. I set it in the corner, so I could still see what's going on but they couldn't see the phone.

"Good idea", Nina whispered as quiet as ever. I gave a small nod and continued to watch. They started chanting and Victor drank something out of a skull. As I saw the skull, my head felt as if thousands of explosions were going off and I was blasted into a vision. The person whose skull it was was an Ancient Egyptian. They were walking into an empty pyramid and praying to the Egyptian god Anubis. I couldn't hear what it was, but suddenly he was ambushed by a bunch of warriors. They took him to their leader I guess and he was burned alive. I suddenly was blasted back to the present. My head was clutched in my hands and my teeth were clenched. They were all looking at me as if I was crazy, but they also looked really worried.

"Are you okay?" Amber asked, her eyes widened in a childish, innocent type of way.

"I'm fine", I mouthed, going back to watching the teachers and hoping everyone just forgot what happened. The teachers all drank out of the skull, and I had to turn away. Seeing the skull just made my head hurt extremely bad. Finally, at around 2:30 it was over. Everyone went to their room, dragging their feet on the grounds tiredly. Just as I crawled into my bed, Nina and Amber came over and sat on my bed.

"Why did you follow us into the cellar?" Nina demanded angrily.

"I was curious. I've heard you guys talking about some cup, something about a thing called Ankh, the chosen one, and some guy named Rufus trying to kill my brother. I thought I'd find my answers by going down to the cellar", I explained, my voice sort of scratchy as I was struggling to keep my eyes open.

"What happened? When Victor drank out of the skull, you looked like something stabbed your brain", Nina asked. I pretended to be asleep, and Amber comfortingly stroked my hair.

"Let her sleep Nina. She's still really young, and it's late. Even I'm tired", she said, yawning. They got off my bed, and I actually fell asleep as both of them drifted off to sleep. I woke up feeling really tired at 6. I opened up my laptop, and downloaded the video off my phone onto my laptop. I plugged in my earphones and watched it again. I opened up a certain program I used for video editing all the time. I decreased the whispers of all of us and increased the volume of the teachers' voices. I took off the static-y sound it was giving off, and listened to what the teachers were saying. It was some Egyptian chant. Nina and Amber woke up half an hour later after I finished editing all the stuff so it had good video quality and it was really easy to watch and understand. I motioned them over handed them the earphones.

"What's this?" Nina asked.

"The video from last night. I fixed it up so now we can hear it all properly and stuff", I explained as they slowly put the earphones in their ears. I replayed the video from the beginning and they watched intently.

"Thanks. Is it alright if we borrow the computer to show this to Fabian, Patricia, Jerome, and Alfie?" Nina asked.

"Sure".

"What happened last night? To your head? When you saw Victor drinking out of the skull, what happened?" Amber inquired, her blue eyes wide with curiosity.

"I-I just got a headache", I lied. "Are you guys gonna tell me what's going on now?"

Nina looked extremely conflicted. "We'll talk about this later. Meet us in here after breakfast". We all exhaustedly dragged ourselves down the wooden steps, lazily plopping down into the chairs. But as soon as the scent of freshly made pancakes hit our nostrils, our eyes widened and we sat rigidly. Trudy quickly sauntered in, placing the blue platter full of pancakes in the center. Everyone paused, waiting for Alfie and Jerome to finish attacking the plate like rogue dogs before taking one. I took two, lightly pouring the sweet maple syrup over them. I quickly finished, chugging down my milk before carrying the plate, glass, and silverware to the kitchen and washing it. Nina, Amber, Fabian, Patricia, Alfie, and Jerome soon followed. We all quickly ran upstairs, our energy revived by the sugary sweet pancakes. I sat down in between Nina and Amber as everyone formed a circle on the floor.

"Are you guys gonna tell me now?" I pleaded.

"We can't have another person in danger!" Nina looked conflicted.

"She'll just try to find out if we don't tell her. Either way, she'll be in danger", Fabian butted in.

"Well- it depends. Can you keep a secret?" Nina asked. I gave a sure and confident nod. "You swear not to tell anyone?"

"Never in my life would I tell", I assured.

"Yes! This means another initiation ceremony!" Amber squealed.

"Damn!" Jerome yelled, angrily stomping out and slamming the door.

"You can only be in if you tell us what happened to make Jerome hate you so much", Patricia said.

I hesitated, and then painfully choked out "Our mum...she died when she was giving birth to me. It's-it's my fault she's dead. Jerome's right. It's all my fault. But if I could have it any other way, I would have chosen not to be born".

There was a silence as they all gave me looks of sadness and pity. Especially Nina. She came over and put a hand on my shoulder.

"Nina- you wanna tell her what's going on", Alfie asked. For once even he was serious.

So she explained to me, all about Joy, Rufus, and the cup. When she told me about the elixir and the teachers, it all made sense. The black mist around them, how they should be dead. They cheated death by taking the elixir. It all made sense, finally!

"So this Rufus guy, he's been sending you text messages yeah?" I asked, a devious grin appearing on my face.

"Yeah", Patricia said warily. I got up and grabbed my laptop, opening up a certain application I made.

"Can I see his number?" I asked. She gave another wary nod before handing me the phone. Once I found the number, I entered it in. I spent at least three minutes breaking down the firewall until I hacked it.

"What are you-" Amber began.

"Wait a second", I cut her off. I sent in a small virus to break through his passwords and yes! I was in. I motioned for them all to come around. I now had the main menu of Rufus's phone. I went into memory, and after a few more code breaking and viruses, I managed to install an undetectable virus that would give me his location at all times. Seeing there confused faces, I explained. "I installed a small undetectable virus on Rufus's phone. Now we can track him at all times".

"That's amazing! How'd you do that?" Alfie asked.

"I made this program where I can hack into a persons phone, and I figured out how to do GPS tracking on it". They all looked at me as if I was a lunatic. Seeing their looks, I asked, "What?"

"You're barely twelve and you can hack into a cell phone?" Fabian looked shocked. I gave a small nod.

"Where is Rufus now?" Patricia asked.

"He's in a grocery store", I looked at the charge from his credit card that got sent onto his phone. "He bought a pound of apples, a gallon of Lactaid-free milk, and a packet of chocolate chip cookies", I added. They gave that 'you're crazy' look again, but I shrugged it off. "I can track him on my cell too, so if you guys ever wanna know...", I trailed off.

"That's awesome! Thank you so much!" Nina gratefully thanked me. "Alright guys; meet back here after dinner okay?"

"Sibuna", they said, putting a hand over their right eye. Now it was my turn to look really weirded out.

"Oh yeah- our club name is Sibuna. This is our symbol", Amber explained cheerfully, putting her hand over her eye again.

I said,"Sibuna" and copied the motion with a large smile. Everyone but Nina and Fabian walked out. As I was about to leave, the shut the door, trapping me inside.

"What really happened last night? I know it wasn't just a headache", Nina demanded forcefully.

I gave her a short glare before sitting on my bed in defeat. "I promised not to tell your secret- you promise not to tell mine?"

She and Fabian both gave a short yet solemn nod.

"I can- I can see the dead", I mumbled softly, but still loud enough for them to hear.

"What?" they both exclaimed in shock.

"I can see the dead", I repeated with more confidence. But I was scared. Scared as heck. Nobody else in the whole world knows this but me, and I was just terrified of what they'd think. I took a deep breath and continued. "That night in the cellar. When I saw the skull, I saw that person's life. I saw who it was, where they live, all that stuff". Now they looked scared out of their minds.

"How?" Nina breathed shakily after a minute. Fabian remained frozen, his mouth agape with shock. I shrugged.

"Please don't tell. If anyone else finds out- they'll hate me. I finally found somewhere I be- just please don't tell", I begged desperately. Nobody could find out about this ever. Fabian came out of shock, blinking rapidly.

"We won't tell. Right Fabian?" Nina assured me.

"Right", he stretched out, clearly not sure of his answer. Nina shot him a short glare, and then sat next to me and put a comforting arm around my shoulder. I felt tears well up in my eyes, but before they could spill out, I clenched my fist tight enough to hold them in. Fabian awkwardly put a hand on my shoulder in a comforting way.

"It's gonna be okay", Nina murmered.

"Thanks", I said. The corner of her mouth twitched into a small smile and she and Fabian left. I took a deep breath and went outside, only to bump straight into Mara.

"Hailey, hey! I was just coming to tell you! Mr. Winkler assigned a partner project where you have to get to know that person and then act them out. Since he heard about your problems with Jerome...Jerome's your partner".

My eyes widened. "He's gonna be so angry when he hears".

"He already heard". I heard glass crash to the floor. Yep, he knows.

"Thanks Mara", a loud stomping came up, obviously Jerome. He stood in front of me angrily. I crossed my arms and looked up at him. "What?"

"Winkler paired us up for this stupid project", he sneered.

"I know".

"I don't want to work with you".

"I know". He faltered, looked as if he was going to say something, but walked away. I turned my attention back to Mara, who was looking at the screen of her laptop. Her face twisted into an expression of pure horror.

"What?" I asked.

"I'm with Alfie!" she exclaimed. She put her face in her hands. "Ugh".

I couldn't help it- I started laughing. She gave me a playful glare and I laughed even harder. So Mara and I pretty much hung out and joked around the whole day. The next day, I woke up, changed into my uniform, set the table, and read a book while I waited. I was reading this book called 'Gone'. It's really good. The day went by, and finally Mr. Winkler's class came. He told us all to stand up at the side of the room while he read out the partners for the project.

"Hailey and Jerome, Mara and Alfie, Amber and Fabian, and Nina and Mick for Anubis House", he said. He always paired up house members because it's easier to work on projects that way. "You will have this class period to work on it, and then it will be an out of class project". I went and took a seat next to Jerome as Mr. Winkler handed out the paper of questions we're supposed to ask.

"You wanna ask first? Or should I?" I asked him.

"I'll ask first. Full name?"

"Hailey Alex Clarke".

"Date of birth?"

"October 31 1998".

"Favorite color or colors?"

"Gray, black, purple, neon blue, and red".

We continued with questions like those for a while. Right as we got into the more emotional questions, class ended. "Do you wanna work on the project after school?" I asked.

"6:00 in my room", he answered, avoiding my gaze, as he slung his bag over his shoulder and walked out. After school, I ran back to my dorm. I changed into tight dark blue skinny jeans and a black t-shirt with a purple tiger face on it. I swapped the lame school shoes for a pair of black converse high tops. I sat on my bed and completed my homework. I went downstairs and turned on the TV, and the news was on. Nina and Fabian settled beside me, watching the flames flicker across the screen.

"A fire is now currently spreading through the abandoned Timmy's Ice Cream Factory. No signs of life- wait. I've just received word that many stray animals have made their home inside this place" the bleach-blonde news lady said. My eyes widened.

"No", I whispered. I ran out the door as fast as possible. I saw the flames. The factory was only a mile away. I took a deep breath and started running as fast as I could. As soon as I felt myself slow down, I jabbed my fingernails into my wrist, which made me keep running. My feet pounded against the rough ground as I took a shortcut through the forest. Animals were fleeing past me, hoping the fire wouldn't come. I skidded to a stop as I arrived. News crews were surrounding the fire, giving their reports. Firemen were trying, to no avail, to douse the fire with their large spray guns. I crawled to the back of the building, and saw a long ladder. I took a deep breath and started climbing. The hot metal sent a burning sensation up my hands, but I just keep climbing. I took my fist and smashed open a window. Glass shards stuck in my hand. I swung my feet in and once I felt solid ground I came all the way through. Flames on the bottom floor were halfway through coming. I was in the middle floor, number 15. I saw a small cat in the corner. I crouched down and crept up to the gray tabby. I held out my hands and grabbed the cat. It started screeching and clawed me. My arms were bloody and red, covered with scratches. My left arm wrapped around it's belly while my right arms held it's paws. I went to the window that all the media was looking through. I smashed it open and yelled to the firemen. Once they saw me and the cat, they started yelling like crazy. They put out something that looks like a cushion for me and the cat. I threw down the cat and ran to the next floor. No animals there. Wait- a small little kitty. It was white with orange and black patches. It's ear was torn off. I smashed open the other window and threw the kitty out. I encountered many dogs and cats, throwing them down to safety. I finally reached the top floor. The fire was gaining on me fast. A large, fat black lab was huddled into the corner, whining. My heart broke when I saw her. She was the biggest dog I've seen. I didn't know how to get her down without hurting her. I crawled up to her and gave her a large hug.

"How are we gonna get you down sweetie?" I asked. She looked up at me with large brown eyes, and my eyes filled with tears. I picked her up; she weighed about 78 pounds. My arms strained from the weight, causing more blood to flow. She licked my face quickly. I kicked the window open. The flames were right behind me. The only way for me to get out alive was to leave this dog behind. No, I'd never do it. The firemen were too busy tending to the animals to see me. The only way to get out was to run through the flames. I took a deep breath. God. If there was such a thing as God, please listen to me. I want Dad to be happy, Jerome to forgive me and be happy, and all my friends to have a good, happy life, and for their safety. I ripped off the sleeves of my shirt. I rolled up one and put it in my mouth. The other I rolled up and put in the dogs mouth. And then I ran through the flames.


	5. Chapter 5: Spark

Burning heat. From every side. I curled the dog as close as possible to me so she'd be safe. I ran and ran and ran. I started feeling dizzy, and my steps faltered. But I jabbed my wrist with my fingernails, and a burst of adrenaline shot through me. I started running again. The elevator shaft. There was no elevator just the empty shaft. Flames burst through the center, but none reached the side. I climbed down the side one armed, my arms aching with the dog's weight. But I kept climbing. I looked down to check if the dog was okay. She was trembling, and the blood from my arm matted her fur. I couldn't let her die. After spending what seemed like forever climbing, I reached the bottom. Only a quick run then I could burst through the door. I tried to plant a quick kiss on the dogs head, but it was weird with the sleeve in my mouth. Still holding my breath, I ran. Flames licked my already burnt arms and legs. I pulled the dog closer and tried to protect her from the flames. More burning heat seared through my body. I finally reached the door. I took my leg and kicked as hard as I could. It wouldn't budge. I tried a few more times, yet it wouldn't move. I stepped back and charged through the door. The wood exploded, and pieces embedded themselves into my skin. I spit out the sleeve and took a breath of fresh air. I then removed the sleeve from the dog's mouth. I dropped to the ground, letting her go. The last thing I saw were the firemen coming to help me, and then I blacked out.

I woke up to the beeping of a monitor. My eyes fluttered open to see three people crowding over me. Jerome, Mara, and Nina.

"Hailey!" Mara and Nina exclaimed at the same time. I half-smiled up at them, and then I felt something against my arm. It was the dog! The fat black lab. She rested her head on my shoulder and looked up at me.

"Is she okay?" I asked.

"Who?" Nina asked.

At the same time, Mara said, "She had a minor burn but otherwise she's fine".

I nodded, and a wave of sleepiness hit me. I rested my hand in her fur. "What do you think I should name her?" I asked. "I can't keep called her 'her' or 'the dog'". Jerome came over and stood by me as I thought really hard. "Spark!" I exclaimed. Spark licked me when she heard. He ruffled my hair, and shot Mara and Nina a look that said 'leave' as he motioned to the door with his head. They both nodded as the hurried through the door. I lay my head back on the pillow, my long, tan neck stretching.

"I was worried" he looked at me. His eyes were red and puffy. His saddened face suddenly turned angry. "What the hell were you thinking when you did that?"

The question threw me completely off guard. "I-I", I began, but suddenly grew very angry. I saved lives! Why was he mad? "I was thinking of Shiloh. When I saw that dog on the TV, peeping out the window, I saw Shiloh's face".

He looked extremely pained at me mention of our old dog, Shiloh. See, when we were young, before Jerome figured out what happened to Mom was my fault and we were friends, we had this Jack Russel terrier named Shiloh. But, after he caused a bunch of trouble, Dad said to get rid of him. So, I pretended to sell him to a guy I hired and hid him in the shed until he died of old age. But Jerome doesn't know I hid him in the shed; he thinks that guy had him. Then what he did next surprised me: he hugged me. Well, kind of hugged considering I was still strapped to the hospital bed.

"You sleep talk", he stated. My eyes widened and I blushed. "You were talking about Mum. And how you feel about her death. And I want you to know that I'm sorry for being mad, and I forgive you. I hope everything's okay between us now?"

I smiled and ferociously nodded. Then a pretty tan woman with long dirty blonde hair came in. She gave me a large smile, and Jerome sat up.

"Hello sweetie. How you feeling?" she asked. Through the corner of my eye I looked at Jerome; he was shooting her flirty looks.

"When can I get out of here?" I demanded, ignoring her question.

"In about a week", she answered with a large smile.

"What are the visiting hours?" Jerome asked.

"From 7 am to 10 pm, why?" she inquired. Oh gosh, I knew what Jerome was about to do.

"Oh. I was just hoping I had a lot more time to spend with my dear little sister", he faked a disappointed look as he ruffled me hair. I smirked and shook my head at him.

"Oh. Well you can stay the night if you'd like", she offered, not noticing this whole thing was just an act.

He put his hand over his heart. "I'd greatly appreciate that". Right then Nina and Mara walked in. As soon as he noticed his flirty smile and the nurse, Mara's face dropped. Did she like him? As soon as it dropped, it came back into a smile again. Whoa! What's going on? The nurse walked out, and Mara sat next to me on the hospital bed.

"Normally they don't allow animals in a hospital. But Jerome convinced them to let Spark stay", she told me, lightly scratching Spark behind the ears. She wagged her tail, causing it to thump against my leg. As it hit what I'm pretty sure was a burn, I bit my lip to contain a wince.

"I'm stuck here for a stupid week. I can't lay down for that long! I have to get up! I need to get out of here!" I complained. Nina, Mara, and Jerome all chuckled. I pouted.

"Sorry kid. But hey- no school! But you do have to do your school work", Nina said optimistically.

"Alright", I laughed. So, for the rest of the week they all dropped off my homework and stayed with me for a couple hours in the evening. Jerome and I worked on the project, and now we are closer than ever. Everything was finally working out. But little did I know that my happiness would be somewhat short-lived.

**I hoped you like it! And I was reading through my story, and I made a few mistakes. So those of you who read it might have had some confusion as to what Hailey's age is. When I was writing, I kept bouncing from twelve to thirteen. But she is…twelve! She turned twelve a month before she came to Anubis. But, she's very tall and mature for her age so that's why the house members assume she's around thirteen. But she's twelve. **


	6. Chapter 6: Home Sweet Home

**Chapter 6 **

**Izzi08- my name is Hailey and I am twelve years old too! The Hailey in the story is modeled after me, just with a different back story and she plays way more instruments than I do. Also with a different physical appearance. And the reason I made Jerome flirt with the nurse and made Mara jealous is because I wanted to show how she is slowly and unsurely falling for him. I am a huge Jara fan too, and I'm seriously hoping in the next season Mara and Jerome will get together! They are clearly perfect together! **

** everyone else, thank you for your positive reviews! I enjoyed reading all of them, and thank you for reading this story. This chapter is dedicated to all you readers and reviewers **

**Spoiler…let's see if you can get this clue: naked mole rat **

**First one to figure out the naked mole rat spoiler and comment to me gets to be featured as a character in the story! Comment and put your description (hair color, eye color, height, age, etc) **

"All right Hailey, you're free to go", Dr. Stan told me on Friday. "Still don't know how she got that much glass in her hand", I heard him mumble as I eagerly got out of the hospital bed, and ran to where Trudy and Jerome were patiently waiting for me. I launched myself into Jerome's arms and gave him a big hug.

"You're finally out of this place!" he said irritably. He then proceeded to smile at me, and I knew he was just kidding. 'One second', he mouthed as he went over to the pretty blonde nurse he was flirting with the other day. "Thank so much for taking care of my sister", he thanked sincerely as I hugged Trudy. "How can I ever repay you?"

I couldn't help but roll my eyes. Laughter spurted out of my mouth when she said, "If you see a tall, handsome man with brown hair, my boyfriend, tell him I'm in room 388". He gave a small nod and walked away dejectedly. Trudy almost laughed, but stopped herself. As he dragged himself over to us, his black shoes leaving small marks against the squeaky clean hospital floor, Trudy patted his back comfortingly and we walked out of the hospital with Spark on a bright red leash that I was holding. As soon as we walked through the doors, the man the nurse described walked in. He stopped Jerome.

"Hey have you seen my girlfriend? She's a nurse here…she's a really pretty blonde. She's kinda tall, and super hot", he asked.

"Yes, I believe she's in room 127", Jerome lied with clenched teeth.

"Thanks buddy", he said, patting him on the back. Jerome's fist clenched and he fell into an odd silence. We climbed into Trudy's small red Toyota. Jerome sat in the backseat with me while Trudy drove. He put his arm around me and I rested my head on his chest. I was still really tired. My eyes slowly closed and I fell asleep.

Next thing I knew, I was rudely being shaken awake. My eyes fluttered open, only to see Jerome's face.

"Wake up!"

"I'm awake", I responded groggily. I looked out the slightly foggy window to see Anubis House. Spark licked my face jumped out of the car when Trudy opened the door, jerking me out and ending up with me on the ground as her leash was still attached to my hand. "Spark!" I yelled as my body hit the floor. She bounded over and licked me. I let out a chuckle and rubbed her fur. Jerome grabbed my arm and yanked me up. "Thanks", I mumbled, brushing gravel off my skinny jeans. I held Spark's leash more carefully, and walked inside Anubis, my backpack hanging off one shoulder.

"Hailey!" Mara exclaimed, running over to hug me just as the rest of the house followed her into the main hallway. Mick gave a shy wave, and Alfie, Nina, Amber, Patricia, and Fabian bombarded me with hugs.

"Oh my gosh Hailey! We were so worried! And now we're all gonna get wrinkles", Amber said, causing everyone to burst out laughing. I gave a lopsided smirk.

"That was a pretty brave thing you did. Good job kid", Mick complimented. I smiled, and then Victor came stomping down the stairs.

"Ah Mrs. Clarke, you're back. Very good, meet me with the teachers at 5:00 to discuss your punishment", he said in his creepily impassive tone he always uses. Wait- punishment? What? Before I could question him, he went back upstairs.

"Ooh you're in trouble", Alfie teased. I shrugged, and we all headed towards the living room. They barraged me with many questions about the fire. After a while, I grew sort of annoyed.

"All I did was go in the building and save the animals. Not a big deal", I said in an exasperated tone.

"Not a big deal? You risked your life to save stray animals nobody cared about! That's heroi- hero- help me out here Mara", Alfie sigh.

"Heroic", Mara finished with a roll of her eyes. I laughed, as did everyone else. A text appeared on Patricia's phone, and she smiled.

"I have to go guys. Bye Hailey!" she said, giving me a short hug. As she did, I noticed the text was from Mr. Winkler. Was there something going on between them? I got pulled out of those thoughts when my watch buzzed. 5:00 already? We'd been talking for three hours? Time flew by. I sigh and got up.

"I have to go. It's 5", I said to everyone as I slung my backpack on my shoulders. I quickly ran upstairs and threw my backpack on my bed before running to Mr. Sweet's office. I knocked on the door, and it opened to see a bunch of teachers. Mr. Sweet, Mrs. Andrews, and Victor. Not a bunch, but…whatever. You get it. I warily sat in the wooden chair rigidly. "Hi".

"We need to discuss this little stunt you pulled", Mr. Sweet said, settling in his chair and he took off his glasses.

"It wasn't a stunt!" I angrily rose out of my chair. "Those animals were gonna die, and I saved them. That's it!"

"That's not it you ignorant child!" Victor yelled, slamming his hand against the desk.

"Hailey", Mrs. Andrews started, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder, which I shook off. She continued, "You risked your life to rescue animals nobody cared about and nobody knew. We just want to know why?"

I slumped back in my chair, defeated. "When I saw that dog peeping it's head out the window on TV, I saw my old dog. And I couldn't let them die", I looked up at her. She remained impassive. "I just couldn't".

"You have detention for the rest of the week. Otherwise, good job. We _are_ proud, it was just dangerous. You may be excused", Mr. Sweet said. I gave a short nod and then ran out of the school, slowing down about a quarter of a mile from the house. I slowly walked back home, kicking random rocks to the side that got in my way. I crept back into the house, and went into my room where Nina, Fabian, Jerome, Alfie, Amber, and Patricia were huddled together.

"Hey", I said, causing them to jump.

"So, what did old Sweetie give you?" Alfie asked.

"Week of detention. And I'm pretty sure Victor's gonna make me clean the toilets with the toothbrush. Whose toothbrush is it anyways?" I settled down next to Jerome.

"Nobody knows", Patricia said ominously, causing us all to laugh. Then they filled me up on the clues and stuff. They cracked the whole 'core of my enemies pride' thing, but Victor locked all the pieces in the attic. Just then I spotted movement in the corner of the room. I slowly got up and walked over. I crouched down when I was about three feet away, only to see a tiny mouse hiding under Amber's dresser.

"Hailey what are you doing?" Amber asked. She was not gonna be pleased about this.

"I want you guys to stay really calm. Especially you Amber. Just hand me a towel or a blanket or something", I said softly, as to not scare the mouse. Fabian warily tossed me a small brown towel. I put both my hands in it, and quickly grabbed the mouse. It started squirming, then I wrapped the towel around it so it looked sort of like a sack. I held it up. "We have mice". I heard a loud scream emit from the kitchen. Looks like Trudy found some mice too. I clutched onto the towel-bag-thing and ran downstairs, followed by Nina and Fabian. I saw an old box in the corner, and put the mouse in there. Victor came stomping down the stairs again.

"It seems we have an infestation of mice. You will all be staying in the school while the exterminators take care of this. Now go! Trudy will bring your overnight things", he said, ushering all the house members out the door. We all trudged into the drama room, settled in an awkward silence. Occasionally someone would say something, but otherwise it was completely silent. We all sat on the couch. Me, Jerome, and Mara on one couch, Mick, Amber, and Alfie on the other, and Nina, Fabian, and Patricia all crammed into the single couch.

"C'mon guys! This is boring. What do you wanna do?" Alfie spoke up. Then Trudy came with all of our things. Luckily she brought my guitar case with the black acoustic. I smiled as I took it for her. She also brought my pajamas and an extra pair of clothes for tomorrow. And last but not least she handed me my laptop case. From the worried looks on Nina and Fabian's face, it was gonna be a long night.


	7. Chapter 7: Breaking In and Truth or Dare

Chapter 7

**Wow. Since you guys can't figure out the spoiler, I'm gonna give you another clue. It comes from a TV show. A cartoon to be specific. The clue from last chapter was 'naked mole rat'. Think about it…naked mole rat, from a cartoon. An old cartoon. With a girl with red hair who kicks butt on a daily basis…oops I've said too much! Anyways, for all you Fabina lovers this is a Fabina chapter, just to check up a bit on their relationship. (Another hint cause I'm just that nice: possible) **

**Also, to Strawberry Stripes, sorry about that little mistake I guess it slipped by me when I was typing. It is kinda funny, I guess. **

I walked over to Nina and Fabian while everyone else was talking and stuff. "What's up?"

"The puzzle pieces! They're in the attic! And all the stuff we have- Victor's gonna find it and then we're screwed", she wailed, putting her head in her hands. Fabian put his arm around her shoulders comfortingly. I shook my head; they are just too cute together. I can't believe they don't realize how in love with each other they are.

"Let's go get those puzzle pieces back", I said with a smirk. We crept by Mr. Sweet's office but he caught us causing us to ditch our original plan. We ended up locking him and Trudy in there, knowing they'd call Victor to get them out. The three of us ran back to the house and hid by the wall. I crouched down, the spiky thorns trying to pierce my side, some succeeding. I leaned my head against the wall and waited. When Fabian gave the all clear signal, we ran into the house. We flew up the stairs, and into the dirty and dusty old attic. It was my first time in here, and this place was just swarming with death. There was a faint black mist all over. I hesitated, but followed Nina and Fabian. We crammed everything into Nina's small brown shoulder bag as fast as we could and escaped back. While running, Fabian (literally) ran into the delivery guy. He was tall, with short and spiky brown hair and bright blue eyes. He was extremely cute. Nina and I both gaped at him, while Fabian muttered an apology.

"Oh is this the food?" Fabian asked.

"Yeah, someone named Trudy ordered it. Are either of you Trudy?" he asked, looking at both me and Nina. When Fabian saw Nina's expression at the hot delivery guy, his face fell.

"No, but she wanted us to pick up the food for her. We're her students", I explained with Nina still gaped.

"Alright", he nodded while handing me and Fabian the food. He winked at Nina then rode out on his red motorized scooter. A deep blush appeared on her cheeks and Fabian looked downright pissed. How could she not realize he likes her? I shook my head as we continued to walk back, the boxes of Chinese food and pizza in our arms. We got back, thankful we were so lucky enough to run into the delivery guy.

"Where have you been?" Victor asked angrily, his beady eyes staring us down.

"We went to go pick up the food", Nina covered. After giving each of us a hateful glare, he walked away, his cane smacking down against the floor.

"Did either of you take a key from my office?" Mr. Sweet asked. We replied by shaking our heads. I gave him a cute smile that always made adults melt. He gave me a small smile back, and with a nod of his head walked away.

"Hailey! Hailey! We're gonna play truth or dare! C'mon!" Amber yelled, tugging my hand. Then she suddenly froze. "You have to change in your pajamas", she said, as if it was the most obvious thing ever.

"Alright!" I responded, holding my hands up in defeat as I went into the bathroom to change out of my clothes and into my warm blue and purple plaid pajama pants and a black shirt that said 'Simple Plan'. It's the name of this absolutely amazing band. Then I ran back and lay on my sleeping bag. We were all in a circle. Me, to my right was Patricia, then Nina, then Fabian, then Amber, then Mara, then Jerome, then Alfie, and on my left, Mick.

"Okay. I'll start. Patricia, truth or dare?" Amber asked, flipper her hair to the side.

"I think I'll go with dare", she winced unsurely. Today she had a bright purple streak in her hair.

"I dare you to kiss Mr. Winkler. He's in his classroom right now", Amber squealed excitedly.

"What? Ew, no!" Patricia refused.

"You chose dare. You have to do it", Mick pointed out.

"Shut up Mick!" she yelled. She sigh. "Fine". We all followed her as she marched down to Mr. Winkler's room.

"Videotape it", Amber nudged me. I shook my head, and she rolled her eyes at me. She took out her phone and started to tape it. Patricia burst into his room, grabbed him by the tie, and kissed him before he could object. To our surprise he kissed back. They were kissing for like 5 minutes before they stopped. None of us moved; we were too busy gaping at them. When they started getting 'physical', moving their arms around each other, Jerome placed his hands over my eyes.

"I'm not a baby", I pushed his hands out the way and watched, waiting for them to stop. Both were a tomato red when they noticed us watching.

"Well bye!" Patricia said before running out. We all ran as fast as we could back to the drama room. I was racing with Mick to get there, and I won by just a head. Me, then Mick, then Alfie, then Fabian and Nina, then Jerome who waited for Mara, and lastly Amber, who was yelling about how it was unfair for us to go ahead because she was wearing heels. We all got into our previous positions, and waited.

"Alright. Alfie, truth or dare?"

"Truth", he responded confidently.

"On a scale of one to ten, how much do you like Amber?" she asked with a devious smile.

"I don't just like her. I love her! So, infinity", he declared proudly, giving Amber a sweet smile. She put her hand over her heart and awed. She got up and gave him a hug, then sat on his lap, and then gave him a short kiss on his lips.

"I like you too Alfie", she responded, resting her head on his shoulder. He grinned as wide as possible. I knew they fancied each other. I looked to my left; Mick looked sort of pissed.

"So are you guys together?" I asked what everyone was wondering.

"Amber Summer Millington, will you be my girlfriend?" Alfie asked loudly.

"Of course Alfie", she responded. They are so meant for each other. They kissed again, and everyone cheered.

"Okay, Nina. Truth or dare?" he said ominously, lighting a flashlight under his face to look scary as he said 'dare'.

"I'm kind of afraid, but dare", she laughed.

"Make out with Fabian for three minutes". Whoa! This is getting intense. I smirked at both her and Fabian's expression. Then, this surprised me most; she shrugged and started kissing him. They started wildly making out. Fabian looked like he was enjoying it a lot. Then three minutes was up. They pulled away breathlessly. We all started oohing and clapping. Then we all randomly went quiet, and then cracked up.

"Hailey". Uh oh. "Truth or dare?"

Thanks a lot Nina. Note the sarcasm there. "Dare?" I sounded really unsure.

"Play us a song. You have to sing it too".

"Damn", I cursed under my breath. I reluctantly got up, grabbed my guitar, and sat back down. "Alright. This is a song I wrote a little while ago with my friend Mitchel". I was really nervous. But, I started playing.

_Don't know what's going on__  
><em>_Don't know what went wrong__  
><em>_Feels like a hundred years I__  
><em>_Still can't believe you're gone__  
><em>_So I'll stay up all night__  
><em>_With these bloodshot eyes__  
><em>_While these walls surround me with the story of our life___

_I feel so much better__  
><em>_Now that you're gone forever__  
><em>_I tell myself that I don't miss you at all__  
><em>_I'm not lying, denying that I feel so much better now__  
><em>_That you're gone forever___

_Now things are coming clear__  
><em>_And I don't need you here__  
><em>_And in this world around me__  
><em>_I'm glad you disappeared__  
><em>_So I'll stay out all night__  
><em>_Get drunk and _ fight__  
><em>_Until the morning comes I'll__  
><em>_Forget about our life___

_I feel so much better__  
><em>_Now that you're gone forever__  
><em>_I tell myself that I don't miss you at all__  
><em>_I'm not lying, denying that I feel so much better now__  
><em>_That you're gone forever___

_First time you screamed at me__  
><em>_I should have made you leave__  
><em>_I should have known it could be so much better__  
><em>_I hope you're missing me__  
><em>_I hope I've made you see__  
><em>_That I'm gone forever___

_And now it's coming clear__  
><em>_That I don't need you here__  
><em>_And in this world around me__  
><em>_I'm glad you disappeared___

_I feel so much better__  
><em>_Now that you're gone forever__  
><em>_I tell myself that I don't miss you at all__  
><em>_I'm not lying, denying that I feel so much better now__  
><em>_That you're gone forever__  
><em>_And now you're gone forever__  
><em>_And now you're gone forever_

As I strummed the last cord, they all cheered and clapped. So, we played truth or dare for a while. It got really super boring. So we went to bed. Girls on the stage, boys in the classroom. Everyone quickly fell asleep, since it was really late. I looked down at my watch. Right as the clock struck 12, I got a terrible headache. The worst ever. And these kinds of headache only meant one thing: the dead were coming.


	8. Chapter 8: Mums and Revenge

**Chapter 8**

**Alright the winners are charn14 and 2theleftx2. Good job guys! For those of you who are too lazy to read the reviews, you (possibly) guessed it- naked mole rat=Rufus. Meaning, Rufus will appear in the story. Good job. Also charn14, it wasn't in code. Hahaha I think you might have over thought it a little bit. But that's what riddles do- they mess with your mind. You guys will be featured in either chapter 9, 10, 11 or 12. It will be just a short appearance, but yeah you'll be featured. Good job! **

I clutched my head in my hands, my fingernails embedding themselves into my head. The pain! Tears silently streamed down my face. Many different ghosts swirled around in front of me. Then a woman appeared. She walked out towards me. Mum. It was my mum! I ignored the pain and looked up at her. I quickly tore my eyes away and scanned the room. Nina, and Mara were peacefully sleeping, Amber was snoring loudly, and Spark was in the corner sleeping. I looked back at my mum.

"Mum?" I asked. Please, please let it be her. She gave a small nod. She said something, but no sound came out. I knew what I had to do to hear her talk. I focused harder on her, and tried to make her talk. More pain exploded inside my head. My vision was ringed with red, and the pain was so bad I just wanted to die. But I looked up at her. My head felt as if it weigh a thousand pounds.

"Hailey", she said with a motherly smile. Despite the pain, I managed a smile. Her glowing ghost came and sat by me. "You were given this power for a reason" she said, just as I started apologizing.

"I'm so sorry Mum! I'm so sorry I was born! You should be alive, not me. Then you, Dad, and Jer would be happy. I'm sorry", I cried out quietly, as to not awaken the others.

"It's okay sweetie. You were born for a reason. You will fulfill your destiny, and you'll be a hero. Why do you think I named you Hailey? It means hero. You will save the world from evil. It's your destiny. But remember, you can't do it alone. It's your destiny, my child", she started fading. Before she was gone, she said one last thing. "Hailey and Jerome, I love you".

"No", I whispered, but she and all the other ghosts were gone. With them they took the pain. As soon as they left, I collapsed on my sleeping bag. Seeing ghosts always made exhausted. Then I fell asleep.

"Hailey! Hailey get up now! You're freaking me out!" I heard panic in Nina's voice.

"Hey?" I said (more like asked) groggily as I sat up. Ugh, I was so tired! The events of last night suddenly came back to me. Mum. She finally came! She answered my calls! "Nina! I have to talk you!" I said urgently, all former sleepiness gone.

"What?" she asked, taken back by my sudden change of behavior. Mara and Patricia were gone.

"I saw my mum last night. Her ghost. She said I was born for a reason. I have to fulfill my destiny, and that I'm a hero. I have to save the world from evil or something. She said I can't do it alone. It's my destiny…" I trailed off.

"That's pretty intense. You okay?" she rubbed my back. I nodded and pushed my bangs aside. She hugged me and we left for breakfast. We quickly ate a yummy take-out breakfast and returned back. Our rooms were a mess! Everything was turned upside down. I ran to my songbook, which I hid under my pillow. It was obviously opened. Pages were torn, some strewn across my bed. A knob on my guitar amplifier was broken off and tossed carelessly on the floor. Luckily, my electric guitar remained untouched. But there was a picture of my mom that had a big crack in the glass. I grabbed it and clutched it in my hands.

"What the heck!" I shouted. I ran outside, only to see Mara, Patricia, Nina, and Amber gaping at Mara and Patricia's room. It looked just like ours.

"Hailey- is our room okay?" Amber asked. She looked really worried, and like she was gonna cry.

"No. Look what they did!" I shouted, showing her the cracked picture of my mom. "It's the only picture I have of her", my voice softened. Mara put her arms around my shoulders. "Someone's gonna pay for this", I hissed.

Patricia patted my head. "Calm down little buddy". I looked up and glared at her. I pushed Mara's arm off my shoulders, and ran downstairs.

"Jerome!" I called.

"In here!" he shouted from inside his room. I burst in, to find their room was just as bad as ours. Alfie's bed was even turned upside down. I handed him the picture.

"Look what they did. The only thing I had of her, and it's gone", I cried. He wrapped his arms around me, and let me cry into his shoulder. Alfie came over and patted my back. I stopped crying, and looked at both of them. "You know what we have to do right?" I asked, glancing back and forth between the two of them. They gave me blank looks, causing me to roll my eyes. "We gotta get back at Victor!" I exclaimed.

"Oh", they muttered. Then they nodded eagerly.

"What are we gonna do?" I asked.

"I have a plan!" Jerome said. We nodded, urging him to go on. "It involves camouflage, laxatives, vasaline, feathers and tar, and a cheap skateboard".

I gave a scheming smile. "Let's do this".


	9. Chapter 9: A Trip Into Town

**Chapter 9: A Trip to Town **

**Just wanted to let everyone know that a season 2 of house of Anubis has NOT been confirmed yet. There's an interview with Ana Mulvoy Ten at the KCA's and she said that the directors hasn't given the cast word of a season 2. If you're a major fan and want a season 2 (where hopefully Jerome and Mara get together), then email the directors, comment on the wall at , and spam them with messages on Facebook, Myspace, or Twitter. **

**Izzi08- as long as Tasie doesn't leave the show we're good…and maybe the directors will follow with that part from Het Huis and Das Haus and they'll date. They are so clearly perfect for each other. Mick should just be a lonely loser or with Joy. And some Jara is in this chapter. **

**Just wanted to share this funny part from House of Charades. **

**Mara: Do you think it's a good idea?**

**Amber: What?**

**Mara: Writing him a letter**

**Amber: Whatever Jane Austen, just text him**

"Wait- camouflage, laxatives, Vaseline, feathers and tar, and a cheap skateboard?" Alfie asked, cocking his head to the side. Jerome gave a sure nod. I don't know what we're gonna do, but I like the sound of it. Then Alfie looked at me. "I didn't know you were into pranks".

"Well, she _is _my sister after all", Jerome said, patting me on my back.

"So you guys want to go into town today and get this stuff?" I asked.

"Sure", they both agreed. We all walked upstairs. I went to get my money, Alfie to go check up on Amber, and Jerome probably for Mara. It's so obvious he likes her a lot. And I'm almost sure she likes him too. If they like each other, I'm so gonna get them together. Sure enough, Jerome went into Mara's room to check on her as Alfie and I went into my room. Amber was scrounging through her dresser.

"Oh Alfie! Look what they did to my scarf!" Amber cried as she launched herself in his arms. He wrapped his arms around her waist and held her. He started to whisper comforting things into her ear, and she calmed down. I looked into my drawer and grabbed my wallet. I had about 100 pounds.

"Don't worry Ambs. We're gonna go get back at Victor for letting this happen to you. Nobody makes my Amber cry!" he said ferociously.

I slipped my wallet into the back pocket of my gray skinny jeans. "Alfie we better get going", I hesitated saying, seeing as he was making Amber feel so much better. He looked up at me and nodded, kissing Amber's cheek before coming.

"I bet I know where Jerome is", he teased with a wink of his eye. We crept up to Mara's room and looked through a crack in the door. His arm was around her while tears spilled out of her eyes. As sobs racked through her body, he hugged her and she put her head on his chest. In her hands she clutched an old leather diary that said 'Jane Jaffray' on the cover. To put it in a nutshell, it looked as if a dog attacked it. Pages were ripped and shredded, pieces strewn about the floor, and it just looked like an ugly mess.

"It was the only thing I had left of her", she cried. Jerome sat there and comforted her. He rubbed her back gently as he muttered something in her ear. She managed a weak smile and pulled away.

"I'll see you later. Me, Alfie, and Hailey are gonna go get back at Victor for what he did to your grandmum's diary", Jerome promised as he walked out. When he closed the door, Alfie and I gave him knowing smiles. "Whatever", he mumbled as he walked down the stairs. We all signed out and took a cab into town. The cab dropped us off in the town center. A bunch of stores made up two lines that weaved around the town. We stopped right in front of a candy store.

"Ooh candy! C'mon guys can we please go in there?" Alfie pleaded like a little kid. We rolled our eyes teasingly but followed into a bright pink store lined with rows of delicious candy. In the corner was a large rack of various types of fudge. In the center was every type of candy each lined up on the many racks upfront. Both Alfie and Jerome's eyes widened. They looked like they were in love. Each of them grabbed handfuls of candy, stuffing half of it in their mouths before they got to the counter. Alfie's hair had tufts of cotton candy sticking out of it, while Jerome's face was covered in caramel fudge. I chuckled at the sight of the two of them. They looked like five year old little boys who just discovered candy for the first time. Right before we went out, Jerome slipped back in as sneakily as he could and bought a box of heart shaped chocolates and a red rose. After about fifteen minutes, I finally dragged them out of the candy store. As we walked on, looking for a local drug store, I saw a small pet store. It reminded me of back home at Bert's. I saw a small Beagle puppy sleeping in the window. f

"Jerome, can we please go in the pet store?" I begged.

"No", he responded.

"Please", I gave him the puppy dog eyes. They definitely worked on Alfie, though.

"C'mon Jerome! It won't hurt to check it out", he said.

"Fine", Jerome grumbled after seeing my face. I smiled and burst into the store. Jerome and Alfie slowly followed. There were rows of cages with dogs and cats. I ignored the swelling anger at seeing these animals locked up that was growing in my chest and crouched down beside the small little bulldog laying in its cage. I poked my finger through the wire rims of the cage and stroked the little puppy's soft fur. I looked to my right and saw a bunch of dog toys. I got up and went over. There were so many toys! Kongs, tennis balls, chew toys, and more. I grabbed about 17 toys, stuffed them in the shopping cart, and bought them. Spark is gonna be so happy! I walked out, thinking about her. She has been getting unusually heavy. I should probably change her diet.

Then we found the pharmacy. We bought the Vaseline, laxatives, and feathers. We went into a small shop that sold things very cheap and got a plain skateboard. The bottom was undecorated. It looked pretty crappy. Then, somehow we managed to get tar. Lastly we stopped by a small store. We all got camouflage pants and camouflage jackets. Alfie even bought war paint. While sitting on a bench outside the store, we used up half of it just drawing on each other's faces. We were having such a good time. I was finally worry-free. But I did feel guilty about not telling Jerome my secret. I know he'd do anything to talk to Mum again. As I looked up, a bright orange and pink was painted across the sky. It was getting sort of late; it was 5:10. It was like Jerome read my mind because he said, "We should probably be getting back". Then I noticed a small shooting range.

"I'm gonna stay here. I'll meet you back at the house", I said. They shrugged and caught a cab back home. I was an expert gun shooter. I had lots of free time and shooting a gun always seemed awesome to me so I learned from Mitch's older brother Mike. He now owns a gun repair shop somewhere in the States. I walked up to a large metal stand. "One round please", I said to the stick thin man wearing a classy suit at the stand.

"You're underage", he said without glancing up from his book. I put another twenty pounds. "Still a bit too small", he droned on. I put down twenty more pounds. "You're just about the perfect age". I put down ten more pounds. "Perfect", he smiled. He handed me a .22 Long Rifle Caliber and a pair of headphones. I walked up to my place on the grassy field and started loading the gun. A bunch of guys that looked about Jerome's age walked up to me. They were all wearing fancy expensive outfits.

"Little girl, this is no place for amateurs. Now run along and go play dolls with your juvenile friends", the lead guy said cockily. He had short and wispy bleach blonde hair and dark hazel eyes. He was actually kind of cute.

"Good one Chance", his buddy said, patting his back.

"Alright jerk, a) I'm not a little girl b) I'm no amateur c) I don't play with dolls and d) I can kick your skinny little ass at this", I said right as I finished loading my gun.

"Fine; but let's make this interesting. Say, one hundred pounds?" he asked.

"Say two hundred?" I challenged.

"How about three?" he challenged back.

"Are we gonna sit here like old women and chat or are we gonna shoot?"

"Three hundred pounds it is. Please, ladies first", he said, motioning to the target.

"How many shots?"

"Five". Okay, then five it is. I took the gun and hit the bull's eye five out of five times. Yeah! Beat that Chance! I turned around with an evident smirk on my face. Him and his posse had their mouths gaping open.

"Your turn. Unless you wanna back out?" I asked sassily. He glared at me hatefully and started shooting. He only hit the bull's eye three out of five times. I held out my hand. He sadly slapped down the three hundred pounds, which I slipped into my wallet. I started to walk away, but I froze and turned around. "Good game", I said honestly before going up to the counter. I put the gun down and left. I wasn't going straight back to Anubis though. I was gonna get everyone gifts.

First I stopped by the book store and bought Mara the whole 'Vampire Academy' collection. Next I got Fabian a packet of new strings and picks for his Bass guitar, as well as a book with all the songs from the 'Beatles Greatest Hits'. I went to the Sports Shop and bought an awesome football for Mick. It was the kind the pro's use. I bought Patricia this awesome spiky bracelet. It was silver, black, and red. I got Alfie this awesome monster outfit. For Amber I picked out an amazing makeup kit with all kinds of stuff. I don't know what to get Nina. She doesn't really have any particular hobbies. While I was still thinking of what to get her, I bought Trudy a bunch of cookie molds. Then it hit me! I knew exactly what to get Nina! I went into this antique video store and into a certain section. There was a bunch of DVD's from American shows she's probably missing from back home. I heard her talking about some, so I bought her season 9 of 'Degrassi: The Next Generation' and season 3 of 'Jersey Shore'. Finally Jerome's gift. I went to this place and got a framed photo of Mum. I looked outside; it was raining hard. I put all these gifts inside a cheap backpack I bought. All of this totaled to about 137 pounds. The rest is going to be split. Half going into my college account and half into Jerome's. I called a taxi as the rain soaked through my black sweatshirt with a red hawk on it. I pulled down the hood as I got into the cab. I told the cab driver the directions and in about ten minutes I was back at Anubis. It was really dark outside. I checked my watch, but it was too dark to see the numbers. I pressed the small button on the side and it glowed a bright neon blue. It just reached 7. I walked inside.

"Where have you been?" Jerome asked, as I walked inside the dining room. They were all eating dinner.

I held up the backpack with a smirk. "I brought presents".


	10. Chapter 10: Much Needed Adrenaline Burst

**Chapter 10**

**Inception123- I update about every 2-4 days. I'm normally pretty quick about it. But sometimes when I have major writers block it's about 5 days. Actually, I dislocated my knee so I've been busy with doctors appointments and such, but I've still managed to update quickly. Trust me, I won't be having writers block anytime soon. I have great plans for the next few chapters…mwahahahahahahahaha. **

**Izzie08- yeah we know we're obsessed because we look it up on the internet…seriously I check Wikipedia every day to see if there's word of season 2 or an update about it**

**2theleftx2- Yeah sorry for not updating it's just that there was a lot to write and with all the doctors appointments and stuff I just managed to finish. Next chapter or the chapter after will feature the winners. **

**Alfie: Welcome to We Love Mara Land population: Jerome **

**So true…now only if Mara was in We Love Jerome Land **

They all swarmed around me, leaving their food. Trudy came out and sat on the couch with the rest of them. First I pulled out the DVDs and handed them to Nina. "The newest seasons of those shows you've been talking about. I figured you probably missed them, being here in England". She smiled and hugged me.

"Thanks".

"For Trudy some cookie molds", I smiled at her, passing them to Alfie to give to her since she was far away.

"You wanna test them out tonight?" Alfie asked hopefully, causing us all to laugh.

"Thank you sweetie", she said, wiping away a tear.

"For Amber, a makeup kit", I handed to her. She squealed excitedly and hugged me.

"Oh my gosh, thank you so much! I love makeup!" she said clapping her hands.

"Alfie, here you go", I smiled as I gave him the costume.

"Awesome! Thanks", he said with a wide smile.

"Mick, here's a football. Apparently it's the kind the pro's use", I said, tossing him the ball. He easily caught it.

"Thanks", he said as he started kicking the ball around. He accidently hit a vase and it shattered onto the floor. Trudy shook her head at him and we all laughed really hard.

"For Mara, I got the Vampire Academy series", I said, handing her the heavy set of books.

"Oh thank you so much!" she thanked me. I nodded and smiled.

"Patricia, I got you this bracelet. It seemed like your style", I shrugged handing her the bracelet.

"Aw thanks this is awesome!" she said, inspecting the bracelet.

"No problem. Uh, Fabian I got you new strings for your bass and the Beatles Greatest Hits bass book", I said, tossing him the stuff.

"Thanks. This is cool", he said, eagerly flipping through the book. Then they all jumped up and tackled me with hugs.

"Wait-Jerome. Here", I said, handing him the picture. He tightly clutched onto it, looking at the picture. Mara walked over and put her arm on his elbow. He came over and gave me a small hug. I hugged him back and we went to eat while Trudy started to make cookies. It was a really good night. We all hung out, worry-free and really happy. We tossed around the football while we chatted about random stuff.

"How'd you get the money for all this stuff?" Mick asked.

"Shooting range. Bet a guy three hundred pounds. Whoever got all five bull's eyes won", I said, tossing the ball to Patricia. She tossed it to Mara, who then tossed it to Jerome. Jerome chucked it at Alfie, who dodged it causing it to hit Amber. She stumbled and slipped off the couch.

"You shoot?" Jerome asked with raised eyebrows.

"Yeah Mike taught me", I answered.

"Mike, as in Mike Charlsbury?" he asked.

"Yeah. Mitch's older brother", I clarified. He nodded and we started laughing at Amber, who was furiously yelling at Alfie. She stomped back to her room, and Alfie followed, mumbling out various apologies.

"Cookies are ready!" Trudy yelled, bringing out a tray of cookies. They were in various letters; N, F, A, P, J, M, and H. We all attacked the chocolate chip cookies, each of us eating whatever letter our name was. The A's, however remained untouched. Then we heard a shout.

"Do I smell cookies?" Alfie yelled, running into the living room. When he saw the tray he grabbed about four A's and stuffed them into his mouth. When he saw our weird looks, he asked "What?" but since his mouth was full it came out more like "Wa?"

"Alfie you pig!" Amber said, coming out behind Alfie. He turned around and sheepishly blushed. We all started laughing. About ten minutes later, Victor came out.

"It's ten o' clock, and you all know what that means. You have five minutes, and then I want to hear a pin drop!" he yelled at us. We all got up and went to our dorms, except Jerome. He went into Mara and Patricia's room. I paused on the way to my dorm and listened.

"Here Mara, I picked this up for you. You know, to make you feel better", he said, handing her the heart shaped box of chocolates and rose.

"Thank you Jerome!" she said, throwing her arms around him. "You're the best friend I've ever had". Oh no. Jerome's gonna be crushed.

"Yeah. You're my best friend too", he said sadly. "I better go to bed". He got up and left. I quickly ran back into my room. I changed into black gym shorts and a blue shirt. I have an awesome plan to get the two of them together. I yawned as I crawled into the soft gray covers of my bed and quickly fell asleep.

The next morning, I woke up early as always. I quickly got ready and went downstairs, set the table, and did tonight's science homework. By the time I finished the last couple questions, Trudy woke up and started cooking. I started on the Geometry homework. When I was on question 15, everyone was finally down. I folded the paper, put it in the book, shoved the book in my backpack, and proceeded to eat the eggs and bacon upon my plate. After eating, I put the dishes in the sink and walked to class with Jerome and Mara. Alfie was with Amber, Patricia, Fabian, and Nina. Mick was with some of his friends from other houses.

"So when are we gonna pull the prank on Victor?" I asked impatiently. I was itching to get back at Victor.

"I don't think you should go through with this. You could get in a lot of trouble", Mara warned us warily.

"The only picture I had of my mum, and he let the exterminators break it. No way is he getting away with this", I hissed fiercely.

"Jerome. Why?" she asked, turning to him.

"I don't like it when people mess with my sister and my, uh, best friend", he answered, his voice dropping at best friend. He was still bummed from last night. I have to make them a couple, and fast. A couple of Mara's friends waved her over.

"I have to go. I'll talk to you later, yeah?" she said to us, walking away. Jerome and I simultaneously waved as she walked away,

"When are we gonna do this?" I asked, kicking a stray rock out of the way.

"Tonight? No, I'm not sure. We need some time to set it up. Maybe during lunch tomorrow", he rambled.

"Tomorrow during lunch…we can skip fifth period to set up", I said.

"Since when do you skip class?" he asked, his voice high with surprise, to which I responded to with a small shrug.

"There are things more important in life, I guess", I said, a blank expression across my face. "People need to learn they can't get away with messing with me, my family, or my friends".

He gave me a weird look. "You're starting to scare me". Then he gave a small laugh to let me know he was kidding, but the weirded out expression stayed on his face.

"I just hate that people think they can get away with stuff", I explained, clenching my fist at the thought of all the times Mitch and I got beat up. "Back home, Mitch and I got beat up a lot. We were sort of outcasts. And I just hate that people think they can get away with it. But one day, when I go back home, I'll show them all. Nobody messes with Hailey Clarke", I said, my arms crossed. Jerome didn't say anything, but rather kept walking. Our walk to class was quiet. I took a seat next to Mara. The whole time, I was planning the prank. Jerome explained how it would go down the night before. Finally, lunch arrived. The three of us quickly rose out of her chairs and started to make our way back to house.

"Jerome?" Mara asked. I felt bad, but I really wanted to know what they were talking about.

"Yeah?" he responded, going back to her.

"Do you maybe want to eat together?" she asked hopefully. Damn it Mara! Why now? Out of all the times I've tried to set you guys up, why now?

"Maybe tomorrow. I have to go with Hailey and Alfie. Revenge calls", he said, cocking his head to the side.

"Oh, alright. See you later", she said sadly. From the expression on Jerome's face, I knew what was coming.

"Want to maybe help us out?" he offered, holding out his hand.

"Me? Do a prank? No, I could get in trouble!" she pointed out.

"Oh come on Mara. Take a risk. Live a little", he said charmingly.

She hesitated. He stretched out his hand a little farther and beckoned her with his fingers. "Fine. But don't be mad if I screw it up".

As she walked over, I smiled at the sight of the two hand in hand. "Welcome to the team Mara", I said with a smirk. She blushed, and then blushed deeper as she saw me glance at their intertwined hands and give her that 'ooooh' look. She quickly pulled her tiny hand out of Jerome's as we snuck back to the house. "Got the stuff?" I asked.

"Yeah. Let's change", Jerome said. I gave a small nod. We weren't gonna wear the spy suits, but we were gonna wear the gear. I put on the night vision goggles, the black beanie, and lastly the war paint. I made two black stripes under each eye. I also slipped my pocketknife in my pocket. It had a silver and red handle with a black blade. Mara caught me holding the knife, and freaked out.

"What do you think you're doing with that?" she whisper yelled.

I rolled my eyes. "Relax. I'm not gonna stab anyone. Just for pranking purposes". I passed her the war paint and she looked at it unsurely. Jerome took it out of her hands and put it on for her. Alfie and I had to bite our lips to contain our laughter at the two of them. Let's go.

"Are the goggles, the beanies, and the paint really necessary?" she asked.

"No, but they make it a lot more fun", Alfie grinned. We tried the front door, but it's locked. We only had about 20 minutes. Victor and all the teachers had a staff meeting that would end in about 20 minutes, so we had to work fast. I gave them the 'one minute' signal and went to the tree that lead to my bedroom. I started climbing, and before I knew it I was prying open the window. I quickly got it open, and ran downstairs, sliding down the rail. I opened the front door, and we all crept upstairs. I went in first, and used the squirrel thing to cover the 'not-so-hidden' camera he had. There was a tea bag sitting on the desk. I took a small needle, and cut a miniscule hole. I then took the laxatives, crunched them up until they were powder and put it in the mix. I then set it back into place as Mara spread Vaseline all over the knobs of the drawers and the door handle. After we were done, we helped Jerome and Alfie set up the feathers and tar bucket. I put the string attached to the bucket at the end of the room, so it was hidden behind a cabinet while Alfie made it so right when Victor sat, he'd be doused. Last but not least, the skateboard. I quickly set it into place right as we exited.

"That was fun!" Mara breathed out.

"A burst of much needed adrenaline", I added on.

"Wait- I need to fix my hair", Jerome said, running down to his room while taking off the beanie. We followed him down there, and watched as he obsessively styled his hair with the purple bottle of hairspray.

"Victor's coming back! We don't have time for your obsessiveness!" I yelled. He finished coming it, gave me a glare and the three of them ran through the door. I then locked it, ran upstairs, and climbed down the tree. We all jumped into a bush right when Victor came back and unlocked the door.

"Wait guys- how are we gonna watch?" Alfie pointed out.

"I got that covered", I smirked, taking out my laptop. "I hooked up a bunch of cameras last night. So we could see, record, and put it on the internet".

"Genius child", Jerome said proudly, ruffling my hair. Mara's watch beeped, signaling us it was time to go back to class. It would have to wait until later. But this was going to be epic.


	11. Chapter 11: House Bonding and Don't Go

Chapter 11

We had to sit through another three hours of class, but finally we got to go back home. The four of us quickly ran back to my room and watched after I changed into blue jeans and a large black t-shirt from the 2010 K-Roq Weenie Roast I attended when I was in California. I booted up my laptop quickly, ignoring the annoying pleas from all them. Then Spark came bounding in.

"Hey boo", I sat, moving my laptop to the side and sitting on the floor to be with her. We were really close now. Victor's demanded we get rid of her, but somehow Trudy managed to convince him to keep her for another few weeks. I gave her a hug and kissed her snout. She jumped on me and started licking me. I giggled and scratched behind her ears.

"C'mon!" Jerome yelled, handing me my laptop. Spark gave an excited yelp, and ran out of the room. A minute later she came running back in, one of the many chew toys I bought her in her mouth. I threw it across the room, and she retrieved it and brought it back to me, her paws skidding against the slippery wooden floor. I typed in the password on my computer and got to the video. We all sat on the floor and watched. It was hysterical! Victor fell for every one of the tricks. He slipped on the skateboard, couldn't open his drawers, got doused by feathers and tar, and kept getting up to go to the bathroom. We kept watching over and over again. On our fifth time watching, Nina and Fabian came in.

"What are you guys doing?" Nina asked warily.

"Just watching some good old British television!" I lied with a fake smile.

"Not any show I've seen before", Fabian muttered, as they came over. They got to us right when Victor got doused by feathers and tar. We all couldn't help but laugh, and even Nina and Fabian joined in.

"Did you guys do this?" Nina asked. All four of us gave sheepish nods.

"Don't tell. Or else…we'll tell everyone you two are dating", Jerome threatened, standing up.

"How did you find out?" Fabian asked, shocked. The rest of us were surprised. Kind of. We knew it would happen. Just not in secret.

"We didn't, until now", Alfie said excitedly.

Fabian blushed and scratched the back of his head in an embarrassed manner.

"Mara you helped with the prank?" Fabian asked, trying to change the subject.

"Well, I wouldn't say helped", she started.

"She did. And you better not tell anyone. Either of you", Jerome gave them menacing glares. Spark whined and put her paws over her snout. I gave a small giggle and scratched her. Her tail wagged ferociously, making a thumping sound against the wood of my bed.

"We won't tell. We promise", Nina said sincerely.

"As long as we can see the video", Fabian added on. I grabbed my laptop and played it from the beginning. It was so funny! We all cracked up. That video will never get old. After a while of talking, Nina and Fabian went out on a double date with Amber and Alfie, Jerome and Mara went to do their homework, and I just hung out in my room with Spark. She was getting extremely overweight. As I was listening to music on my computer, she started whining. Then she started yelping.

"What's wrong girl?" I asked, shutting my porcelain laptop and sitting on the floor next to her. I ran my hand over her side, and felt a kick. Wait- a kick? I put my hand there and felt thumping. She was having puppies! She started howling, and I realized something right as she vomited. The puppies were coming. Right now. "Oh crap!" I said. I grabbed my laptop and went on Google. I looked up 'how to prepare for the birth of puppies' and it directed me to a site. I need a towel, a pair of scissors, and a box. Spark started licking her…you know what, right when I ran downstairs. I grabbed a towel, large box, and scissors from the kitchen.

"Hailey- what are you doing?" Trudy called after me as I ran up the stairs. I stumbled and fell, but got up and quickly kept running. I burst into the room to find Spark panting and lying on her side. I flattened out the box by jumping on it and slid it under her. I scratched her head comfortingly. I had a few minutes before the babies were coming, hopefully.

"Hold on for one minute boo", I pleaded, running downstairs. I burst into Jerome's room to find him and Mara staring into each other's eyes in a flirty manner, with their bodies really close together. They weren't doing anything weird, just being horny teens. "Spark's having babies!" I yelled fearfully. "Mara I really need your help", I cried. She nodded and pushed Jerome's chest away as we ran upstairs.

"Great timing", Jerome mumbled as he slowly followed. I heard laughs as everyone got back from wherever. Spark gave a howl of pain and the first pup came out. She removed the amniotic membrane quickly, and started licking. I moved forward, grabbing the scissors off my bed, and cut the umbilical cord about two inches away from the pups body. It was a boy!

"Mara I need you to take the towel and rub the puppy. Make sure it's breathing and then put it on Spark's stomach so she can nurse", I instructed, waiting for the next puppy. It slowly came out. But it appeared to be stuck. I frantically scrolled through the website, trying to find out what to do. I gently held the puppy and slowly pulled it out. I checked to make sure the nose and mouth were free from liquid and tissue, and then handed it to Mara. Seven more puppies came out. The last one was a challenge though. It went stiff when it came out. When Spark saw, she started howling. She probably thought it was dead.I took it from Mara. It was a little baby girl. I put a finger against the small chest, and felt a very faint heartbeat. I took the towel and slowly pressed against the stomach. "C'mon", I urged. I took my finger and thumb, and pried open the mouth. There was fluid inside! I titled the puppy upwards, and the fluid came out. It's eyes slowly opened, and I stroked it's head. It took its tiny tongue and licked my finger. All the puppies were jet black pure Labradors, just like Spark. I can't believe they're purebreds! That's amazing. I put it with the others so it could nurse, but a big male pushed it out of the way. This little pup was barely born, yet it reminded me of myself. Sort of an outsider; the runt of the litter; yet a fighter. I pushed the male aside, and let the pup nurse. Suddenly the door burst open, and all the houses members flooded into the room.

"We heard howling, what's wrong?" Patricia asked, glancing around. Finally, everyone noticed Spark and the puppies. The all crowded around her.

"Aww their so cute", Amber squealed, going up towards them. But right as she got too close, Spark let out a warning growl. She screamed and jumped into Alfie's arms. Everyone else gave a small jump, but it was only minor. I scratched Spark's head, and picked up the little runt-of-the-litter puppy. The one that almost died. I cuddled her close to me.

"That's funny. There's nine puppies, and nine people in the house", Mick pointed out.

"Good job Mick! You can count", Jerome sneered, standing up from his place beside me.

"Shut your mouth Clarke", Mick said menacingly, taking a step towards my brother.

"Hey! Stop it! Can we focus on Spark?" I asked, trying to break up the fight that was about to happen.

"Whatever", Jerome mumbled, sitting back down next to me.

"Each of you guys wanna name one?" I asked. Amber picked up the one that was licking herself clean.

"This one's sort of like me. I guess I'll call her…Diamond!" Amber exclaimed cheerfully, holding Diamond in her arms as she sat on her bed.

Fabian and Nina picked up the two puppies that were looking around Spark, trying to find something. "This one's like me. I guess I'll call her Clue", Nina said, looking at Clue who was struggling to get to her brother, who Fabian picked up.

"This one's like me. I think I should call him Gabriel", Fabian said, looking up at us for approval. We all gave a nod, and he and Nina sat on Nina's bed.

"I choose this one", Alfie began, picking up one of the two puppies wrestling and fooling around in the corner. "He's like me. A jester. Hey, that's what I'll name him! Jester!" Alfie exclaimed, picking up Jester and taking him over to Amber's bed. Jester jumped on top of Diamond, trying to play, but Diamond batted him away with her paw and resumed to licking herself clean. Wow it was like us in puppy form.

"I'll name this dude Beck. After David Beckham. Doesn't he look like a puppy athlete?" Mick asked, holding up Beck. He sat down on the floor, and started playing with Beck.

"I'll name this little punk Harley", Patricia said. "Maybe I'll die a blue streak on her". We all laughed.

Mara sat their quietly. I handed her the small, quiet puppy resting in the corner of Spark's stomach. Her face brightened at this. "Is Flower a good name for her?" Mara asked cradling the puppy in her arms.

"It's perfect", Jerome murmured softly to her. Her cheeks turned a deep red at this.

"This little guy right here is a mini you Jer", I said, handing him the puppy that was wrestling with Alfie earlier.

"Alright, I guess I'll name you Plum", he said to the puppy. It gave him a low growl, but then gave him a small lick. "Yeah, definitely Plum".

Everyone then turned towards me. "I don't know what to name her", I shrugged.

"How about Alex? It's your middle name", Jerome suggested.

"Alright. Alex", I said with a nod of my head. I put the puppy down on the floor, and she timidly went up to Plum and Flower. Flower gave her a small lick, but Plum batted her with a paw. After Alex started whining, Plum licked the top of her head. Wow. It's amazing how they are all exactly like the person who named them.

"What is going on in here?" Victor asked, throwing the door open.

Everyone froze, and all eyes landed on me. Wow, thanks guys. "S-Spark had puppies", I stammered out.

"Get rid of them! I will not have little creatures running about my house!" Victor yelled.

"We will! Just give us time!"I begged, right as Trudy came in.

"Oh my! Puppies!" Trudy said with delight. I handed her Alex.

"Who's a cute little puppy", she cooed. Alex snuggled up to her and licked her face. I tapped Jerome's shoulder, and nodded my head towards Victor. He gave me a nod in return and stood up.

"Victor, do me a favor and hold Plum for a second", Jerome said, handing Victor Plum. As soon as Plum landed in Victor's hands, his gaze softened. Plum snuggled up to Victor, and fell asleep, resting his head against Victor's vest.

"You have two weeks!" Victor said, stroking Plum before handing him back to Jerome and walking out.

"Yes!" all of us exclaimed. Trudy gave Alex back to me and went to go cook dinner.

"Nobody can resist a puppy", I said. A chorus of agreements followed.

A week passed, and no homes could be found for the puppies. Then one Thursday afternoon, I came back from school and was in for a shock. As I shut the front door and walked into the dining room, I saw Trudy and two women at the table.

"Oh Hailey! These two ladies are Spark's owners", Trudy said cheerfully. My face immediately fell.

"Oh", I managed to choke out, my eyes filling with tears.

"Hi I'm Kaysea", the tall lady with hazel eyes and somewhat gothic but not really clothes said, standing up.

"I'm Charnette", the lady with long, golden/brown hair and hazel eyes said.

"Thank you so much for taking care of Rachel. She means so much to us", Charnette said.

"Rachel?" I asked, still glaring at them.

"Yeah- our dog. Oh, Trudy told us you call her Spark", Kaysea added on. Just then, Nina, Patricia, and Fabian burst through the door and came over to where I was standing.

"Nina, Fabian, Patricia; these are Spark's owners", Trudy explained, noticing their confused looks.

Then Charnette said, "We've come to take Spark and the puppies back".

"Take her home?" I asked. No, no, no!

"Hailey, I'm sorry. These are her owners; Spark and the pups have to go", Nina broke it to me, putting an arm on my back comfortingly. It was all too much! Spark…leaving…the puppies…Alex…no!

Despite the situation at hand, I knew one thing: I'm not gonna let Spark and the pups get away from me that easily.


	12. Chapter 12: Sparks FlyAway

**Chapter 12 **

**Alright Contest Winners! The last part of 11 and the first part of 12 is ur chappy! **

**And also, for those of you who have been wondering, Jerome named the puppy Plum because Plum's are sweet and sour, much like Jerome himself. Sorry if I was unclear. And, a bit of a spoiler, one of the puppies is gonna stay :) **

**Dally2: Well, I didn't mean to make it seem like Hailey is being selfish. See, she is a very individual person and she doesn't grow attached to too many people. That's why animals are so perfect for her. She's afraid that if she grows to close to a dog, she'll lose them just like she lost Shiloh. But, since she saved Spark's life she grew really close to her and now losing her is gonna do major damage. **

**For those of you degrassi lovers out there, here's a funny scene from the awards show episode:**

**Clare: Let's get matching piercings. **

**Eli: Winning an award and youthful rebellion in one night? **

I took a seat at the table, right across from Kaysea and Charnette. I'm gonna give them hell.

"So are you guys really Spark's owners?" I questioned, a menacing glare still on my face. I had an evil glint in my eyes, or so I could see from the mirror in the back.

"Rachel, and yes we are", Kaysea corrected.

"Fine, if you guys think you're _Spark's _owners, convince me. She has a white spot somewhere on her fur. Tell me where", I demanded, clenching my fist. Fabian, Nina, and Patricia awkwardly walked out.

"Right on her chest. It's shaped kind of like a cross between a heart and a square", Charnette answered surely.

"What does Spark always do when she's feeling sleepy?" I questioned defiantly again.

"She takes her right paw and puts it over her nose, and puts her left paw over her right paw. If you don't pay attention to her, she'll close her eyes and snore really loud, but she's really just pretending to sleep", Kaysea said, the corner of her mouth twitching into a smile when talking about Spark.

"What does she do when she doesn't want to eat her broccoli?" I asked again.

"Um…she spits it up on the floor?" Charnette questions. Both looked unsure of the answer. Aha!

"Nice try. She buries it! You're not Spark's owners! You're just trying to take her away!" I shouted, my foot angrily pushing the chair aside.

"No! We are! It's just that we've never given her broccoli! We normally give her Life's Abundance type of dog food, sometimes with carrots! Never broccoli", Kaysea frantically tried to prove.

"These questions are pointless! There's only one way we can prove to you that Rachel really is our dog", Charnette yelled, standing up angrily right as everyone else walked in. They all came into the living room to see what was going on. Once Jerome saw my angry, defiant look he came over and stood by me.

"What's going on?" he asked protectively, crossing his arms.

"These people claim to be Spark's owners", I hissed. Jerome understood why I was being such an $$. I don't grow attached to too many people. That's why having a dog is perfect for me, but ever since Shiloh died, I didn't want to grow attached to a dog. I honestly didn't see this coming with Spark.

"We are. And now it's time to prove it to you", Charnette said smugly. "Bring out Rachel".

Trudy had hid Rachel up in my room, just to make sure they could answer the questions without seeing her. Trudy quickly went up and got her. As soon as Spark saw Charnette and Kaysea, she leaped over to them and jumped on them, licking them both like crazy. "Hold her for a second", Kaysea said before I took her collar. I made her sit next to me while Charnette and Kaysea moved to the other side of the room.

"Rachel!" Charnette called. Spark came bounding over and curled up to her. We repeated the process, but with Kaysea. "See?"

No…no! "We should probably be taking her and the pups home now", Kaysea muttered, taking a soft pink leash out of her purse. My eyes filled up with tears. As much as I loved Spark, I knew it she belonged with them.

"C-can I say good-bye?" I asked, blinking back the tears threatening to fall.

"Of course. We'll be outside", Kaysea said gently, walking out with Charnette to the bright red Porsche sitting by the grassy area. Despite the growing pain in my chest, I still managed to think 'nice car'.

"Nina! Fabian! Patricia! Get down here!" Amber screamed, at the top of her lungs I might add. One tear fell, but I quickly brushed it away. Mara put her arm around my shoulder. I sat on the floor, and called Spark over. But she remained at the door, whining for her owners. She turned towards me and cocked her head to the side, as if saying 'where did they go?'. She finally came over to me.

"I guess this is good-bye", I mumbled into her fur as I hugged her. She looked up at me with those big brown eyes and gave me a small lick on my face. Trudy went and got the puppies. They all quickly ran out and jumped upon the person who named them. Alex curled into my arms. All of us sat on the rug in the living room and hugged each and every puppy good-bye. I was gonna miss them like crazy, especially Spark and Alex. Finally it was time for them to go. Each of us held the puppy we named, and I held Spark as well as Alex.

"H-here's Spar- I mean Rachel", I corrected myself. Kaysea nodded and started loading the puppies. "Wait! We named the puppies", I said. I took out a small post it from my blazer pocket with all the names. "They know their names; they'll respond".

"These are amazing names. We'll definitely keep them", Charnette reassured me with a smile as she glanced over the list. I kissed both Spark and Alex's snout and scratched them behind the ears.

"Bye. I love you guys", I mumbled while looking into Alex's eyes. She gave me a sad look and a small whine. She put her tiny black paw against the window of the glass. I met her paw with my hand for a moment, but it got to be too much. "Take care of them", I mumbled before running inside, tears streaming down my cheeks. I quickly went to my room, changed into jeans and a gray t-shirt with an owl on it and crawled into bed. More tears came, and with it rain fell outside. Rain's my favorite weather. As tears kept coming, I slowly drifted off to sleep. I had a dream- well, a memory in the form of a dream. I was three and Jerome was seven. We were playing chess in my room when Shiloh came in. He came over and started licking me. It was so vivid; I actually felt the wetness of his tongue and smelled his stinky doggy fur.

"Shiloh stop! We're trying to play chess", I pleaded in my little baby voice, my brown eyes sparkling with excitement, my small pink lips shaped into a small pout. "Shiloh leave us alone". Shiloh jumped on top of the board, scattering the pieces everywhere. "No! Shiloh c'mon! Be a nice puppy". Suddenly I woke up to Jerome's chuckling. I ran a hand through my hair and sat up. I looked around; everyone in the house was there. And staring up at me with big brown eyes was Alex.


	13. Chapter 13: Hugs and Kisses

**Chapter 13 **

**Izzi08- so, about that ps spoiler thing, did mara and mick get together in Das Haus and Het Huis before she got with Jerome? And if they did, who broke up with who? And when Mara dates Magnus/Jeroen/Jerome does mick get back together with amber? BTW, don't u just haaaaaate the patricia/Jerome pairing? And don't u think Jerome should have tried harder to break up Mick and Mara, not just busting them of that stupid candle thing? **

**Also, the next chapter or the one after that is the one where the story really starts to pick up. This is kind of a filler but focuses on the romance part. **

"Alex!" I yelled in delight. I scooped her up and hugged her close to me.

"Charnette and Kaysea said we could keep one of the puppies. And we all agreed that since they're here because of you, it should be the one you wanted to keep. So we chose Alex", Mara said.

"Also, they promised they'd bring Spa- Rachel and the rest of the puppies to visit at least once a month", Nina added on. Jerome sat next to me on my bed and stuck his finger in Alex's mouth. She growled at him and tugged on his finger, and he gave a small growl at her back. She yelped in fear and burrowed under the covers and into my neck. We all gave a small laugh.

"Then when Victor found out we were gonna keep one of the puppies, he flipped out", Mick said, using his hands to emphasize the point.

"But we managed to annoy him to the point where he said we could keep her", Fabian explained.

"Wow. Thanks guys. That means a lot", I said sincerely. They all mumbled a sheepish 'yeah' and Patricia threw one of Rachel's toys to Alex. It landed right by my leg, and she pounced on it fiercely. But as soon as it squeaked, her tail went between her legs and she hid under the covers again, causing us all to laugh again. I got up out of bed, holding Alex in my arms. I put her on the floor and threw the tennis ball to the other side of the room. She quickly bounded after it, but then stopped halfway. She curled up in a ball on Amber's fluffy pink carpet and started snoring. This puppy was just too cute. I walked over and delicately scooped her up in my arms. I then carefully walked over, trying not to wake her up, and placed her in my bed. I put her so that her head was on my pillow, and I covered her tiny furry body with my covers.

"So cute!" Amber squealed as she came over and gently stroked Alex.

"Too damn cute for her own good", Jerome mumbled, sitting down next to me. I cracked a small smile.

"Well this has been an eventful day", Alfie said, trying to fill the awkward silence that just took place.

"Hell yeah", Jerome agreed, giving a small nod of his head.

"Well what do you guys wanna do?" Patricia asked.

"We do have a lot of homework. We should probably get started on that", Mara said nervously, shifting her weight from each foot.

"There is more to life than homework Mara", Mick sneered. What's up with the hostility between those two? _**(a/n- remember, Hailey came right after Mara and Mick broke up, right after the election, so she doesn't really know how the relationship between the two worked. Mara doesn't really like to talk about it).**_

"Yes well, at least for Mara and the rest of us, homework doesn't take five hours. That is, one, two, three, four, and five", Jerome defended her, counting with his fingers just to prove his point.

"You know what Clarke! If I didn't know any better, I'd think you like her", Mick stood up angrily. Jerome faltered. Bad move. "You do, don't you?" Mick asked, clearly shocked.

"N-no! She's just my friend. At least _I _can be friends with a girl without trying to get something more out of it". This was taking a bad turn. As Jerome said that, Mara's face dropped. She looked kinda sad. But then the look was gone, replaced with a blank expression.

"Maybe we should do some homework. Then we could all hang out", I interrupted, trying to resolve the situation. Everyone gave a small nod and went to go get their homework. I grabbed all my stuff out of my backpack and sat right next to Alex, who was still sleeping peacefully. I already did a lot of the homework, I just had some Geometry left. Ugh, I hate Geometry. I'm good at it, I just hate it. It's dumb, un-creative, and boring. After about five minutes, everyone got changed and came in. I noticed Jerome started wearing more fancier things, trying to look good for Mara probably. He was wearing black skinny jeans and a deep gray v-neck with a black vest over it. I shook my head at the two. I was going to have to put my plan into action soon, if Jerome agreed. We all took a seat on the floor, in a circle. Me, Jerome, Mara, Patricia, Mick, Fabian, Nina, Amber, and on the other side of me, Alfie. We all helped each other out with our homework, and it went a lot faster. Things one of us had trouble on, the others knew. It was a really great way to do homework. Finally, at around 6:00 we were finished. We all threw our backpacks in a small corner by Nina's bed.

"Truth or dare anyone?" Amber suggested.

"Alright"

"Yeah"

"Sure"

We all agreed. Amber said, "But this time it's romantic truth or dare. Only about romance. That includes kissing".

"Ew!" I said.

"Fine. But if any of you dare Hailey to kiss someone, I will rip both your ears out, throw them in a fire, take Hailey's pocketknife, cut your head off, and make you watch as I burn your body on a stake", Jerome said.

"Overprotective much?" I asked, shocked.

"I'm your big brother. It's my job", he said with mock sincerity, putting his hand over his heart in a sarcastic manner. Mara looked at him, her mouth gaping open.

"Okay I'll start again. Fabian", Amber interrupted, trying to clear the awkwardness.

"Truth".

Since when have you liked Nina?"

"Ever since I laid eyes on her, and ever since I heard her American accent", he responded with a blush, putting his hand in hers. They were so perfect together. "Alright. Patricia. What did that kiss with Winkler feel like?" Fabian asked. Who knew he could be so evil?

"It was weird…but kinda good", she mumbled. I could tell she wanted to murder Fabian right at the moment. "Alright. Mara. Truth or dare?"

"Truth".

Who do you like?"

I knew Mara would find the one way to get out of this. As Patricia asked that, Jerome looked really hopeful. "Taylor Lautner", she mumbled with a blush. I checked up on Jer; he looked downright crushed.

"No way! Robert Pattinson is way better!" Amber argued.

"Nuh-uh! Team Jacob!" Mara and Nina yelled.

"Team Edward!" Patricia and Amber yelled. Then both looked at me.

"Majority wins. C'mon Hailey!" Nina prodded.

"You guys are weird. Team Seth!" I said, leaning back against my bed.

"He is pretty cute…"Nina agreed, getting a look of pure jealousy from Fabian.

"Will you guys shut up about Twilight! It's so stupid!" Mick shouted, crossing his arms.

"It's not that bad", Alfie mumbled. Our eyes widened in shock at him. "What? Amber made me watch it! And that girl who plays Rosalie is pretty hot", he defended. The guys muttered an agreement.

"Um…Jerome. Truth or dare?" she asked.

"Dare", he responded surely, seemingly getting over his sadness at Mara.

"I dare you to…um…I don't know", Mara shrugged. She looked at me for help.

"Hug Victor?" I suggested to her quietly.

"Hug Victor!" she repeated loudly with a smile. 'Thanks' she mouthed to me.

"You people are nuts. But whatever", Jerome shrugged, getting up. We all stood up and followed him. We hid behind the wall as he went over to Victor.

"Victor! How you doing?" he sweet-talked.

"What do you want?" Victor sneered as he stroked Corbiere. Jerome quickly gave him a hug. "Get off of me you filthy little brat!"

"Just sharing the love", Jerome shrugged, raising his eyebrows before running back to my room. He breathed a small sigh of relief, shutting the door. Everyone was laughing so hard; Nina eyes were even watering. "Hailey. Truth or dare?"

I shook my head and glared at him. "Who is your celebrity crush?"

What the heck? "J-Dog and Danny. From Hollywood Undead", I answered with a blush.

"Let's see a picture", Alfie said teasingly, but Jer gave a serious nod and handed me my laptop. I booted it up and went on Google images. I searched J-Dog first, since I liked him the most.

Everyone turned to me with wide eyes once they saw the picture. "Why?" Jerome asked, looking downright disgusted.

"He has a cool mask", I mumbled, the scarlet blush becoming more evident on my cheeks. I changed the picture to Danny.

"Much better. Much, much better", Amber nodded, looking at him.

"Mara. Truth or dare?" I asked. I was hoping for a dare.

"Dare", she laughed apprehensively.

"Kiss Jerome", I smirked.

"What?" she asked, recoiling from shock.

"Kiss. Snog. Make out. Whatever you wanna call it. With Jerome here", I said. Jerome nervously tugged on his vest. Since she was sitting right next to him, she simply leaned over and gave him a small peck on the lips. We all booed.

"C'mon! Give Jerome some action!" Alfie whooped. She rolled her eyes, but started making out with him. I grabbed my IPhone and snapped a quick picture. Jerome needs a new screensaver, and I'm sure Mara wouldn't mind it being her screensaver. They just kept kissing and kissing. I glanced down at my watch; it had already been ten minutes.

"You guys can stop now", Mick interrupted. Was he jealous? Anyways, both of them pulled away, blushing. Both had wide eyes filled with shock and surprise. We all started clapping.

"How was it?" I asked teasingly.

"Weird", Mara mumbled.

"So, so weird", Jerome agreed. I mentally groaned. Why couldn't they just admit their feelings to each other and save me the trouble of getting them together?

"Alright. Amber, truth or dare?" Mara asked, trying to avoid talking about the kiss.

"Dare", she said confidently, flipping her hair behind her shoulder. Before Mara could say something, Jerome whispered something in her ear. She gave him a weird look, but he nodded encouragingly.

"Sit on Alfie's lap for the rest of the night". She smiled happily and climbed into Alfie's lap. She rested her head on his shoulder and wrapped her arms around his neck. I took a picture of them too.

"Alright. Alfie, truth or da-"

"It's ten o' clock! You have five minutes, then I want to hear a pin drop!" Victor interrupted. We all groaned. Everyone else left, and Nina, Amber, and I got ready for bed. I checked my watch; two minutes. I quickly ran downstairs, past a bewildered Victor, and to Jerome and Alfie's room. I knocked on the door impatiently.

"Hey", Jerome said, opening the door.

"You like Mara, don't you?" I whispered. He squeezed his eyes close really tightly and nodded. "And you wanna be her boyfriend right?" I asked. He nodded again. I grinned. "I have a plan".


	14. Chapter 14: Taken

**Chapter 14**

**Charn14 and Izzi08- where did u watch das haus and het huis? Please post the link in a review. Also, same for me. I thought they'd be an okay couple, but as soon as Jara started I was like 'no Jetricia. JARA FOREVER! :) **

"What's your plan?" he asked curiously, leaning against the wooden door.

"Serenade her. You pick a song, or write one, I'll play guitar, and you sing it to her outside her window", I explained

"I-uh-, I already wrote a song to her", he admitted sheepishly.

"Good. Meet me tomorrow at six yeah?" I asked.

"Yeah. My room. Later", he said, hugging me before going to sleep. I ran up to my room and crawled into bed, where Alex was still sleeping. I cuddled up to her and fell asleep immediately.

Six o'clock came quickly. I changed into dark blue skinny jeans and a black t-shirt with a red guitar. I grabbed my black acoustic guitar and ran into Jerome's room. I opened the door to see Jerome and Mara making out passionately on his bed. She was lying on top of him. Her arms were around his neck and his hands were on her waist, pulling her as close to him as possible. Luckily, I only opened the door a little so they didn't see me. Finally they get together! Jerome's alarm rang on his IPhone and they awkwardly pulled away.

"I'm so sorry! I- I don't know what happened!" Mara rushed out, her voice sounding like she was gonna burst into tears.

"No Mara, it's oka-" Jerome started.

"It was a huge mistake! I'm so sorry! I'll see you later", she interrupted, rushing for the door. I quickly ran and hid in the living room, so she wouldn't see me. After I was sure she was up in her room, I walked over to Jerome's room.

"Hey. You ready to show me that song?" I asked.

"Um, yeah. I don't have any music just lyrics. It's actually a poem but it works as a song too", he said, his voice hoarse and scratchy. His eyes were red and puffy and his face was red. He handed me a red notebook with the lyrics. Classic sappy love song. I picked up the guitar and started playing and singing.

"You like it? Or should I slow it down and make it more romantic?" I asked him when I finished.

"Slow it down a little bit on the first verse, but everything else is fine", he instructed. I played through it one more time. "Good. When should I sing it to her?"

"Friday night. Everyone else would be out of the house, and I can get Mara to stay home", I said, running a hand through my hair.

"Alright. Rehearsal tomorrow? I just really want this to be perfect for Mara", he mumbled.

"Sure". I started walking out the door, but paused. I hesitated, but turned around anyways. "What happened when Mum died? Nobody ever told me the story".

I knew this was a sore subject, but I really had to know. It's not like Dad would tell me. Jerome bit his lip, but patted the spot beside him on the bed. "Mum was an amazing person. You look exactly like her. She was kind, generous, sweet, funny, just amazing in general. She loved animals, just like you do. And she was as nuts as you", he said the last part with a sad laugh. "Anyways, she was in labor. Dad and I rushed her to the hospital. She didn't tell us the risks of being pregnant with you. So, she-uh, you came out. It was the most disgusting and beautiful thing I'd ever seen. After the doctors did all the stuff, they handed you to her. She looked down at you and smiled. She only gave me that smile. Nobody else. I was actually a little jealous. But I could tell something was wrong. Her arms were faltering. She lay down on her chest, and kissed the top of your head. She said, 'Hailey. Her name is Hailey 'cause she's gonna be a hero'. I asked her what Jerome meant, but she just smiled and gave me that smile. Then she said 'take care of her Jerome. I love you all' and then she went still. The doctors shocked her with the paddles, trying to save her, but she was gone. I didn't realize that it was because of her giving birth to you until I was about ten. Then I hated your guts. But now, I realize you didn't have a choice", he said sadly, a single tear traveling down his face. He quickly brushed it away, and pulled me into a hug. I hugged him back.

"Thanks. Sorry for asking, I just-I just need to know", I apologized. Before he could say anything, I waved a timid good-bye and went back to my room, my guitar clutched tightly in my hand.

For the next week, Jerome and I vigorously rehearsed. Every day at six, until we perfected it. He actually had a very good voice. Finally, Friday came. I told Jerome to get ready, and look really good. He put on a pair of gray skinny jeans and a black button up shirt. **(go on google images search mens black button up shirt and it's on the sixth pg at direct-mall.c o m). **He looked pretty cool. I was wearing black skinny jeans and a black Green Day t-shirt. I had my black acoustic guitar with me. I texted Mara. '_Stay in your room. Open the window; it's waaay to stuffy in there. We have a surprise for you'_. As soon as I saw the window open, I saw her face as she gazed up at the stars. I started playing, and Jerome began to sing.

_Best thing about tonight's that we're not fighting__  
><em>_Could it be that we have been this way before__  
><em>_I know you don't think that I am trying...__  
><em>_I know you're wearing thin down to the core__  
><em>

Mara looked down at us. She smiled when she saw Jerome singing. _  
><em>_But hold your breath__  
><em>_Because tonight will be the night that i will fall for you__  
><em>_Over again__  
><em>_Don't make me change my mind__  
><em>_Or I won't live to see another day__  
><em>_I swear its true__  
><em>_Because a girl like you is impossible to find__  
><em>_You're impossible to find___

_This is not what I intended__  
><em>_I always swore to you I'd never fall apart__  
><em>_You always thought that I was stronger__  
><em>_I may have failed__  
><em>_But I have loved you from the start___

_Oh, But hold your breath__  
><em>_Because tonight will be the night that I will fall for you__  
><em>_Over again__  
><em>_Don't make me change my mind__  
><em>_Or I won't live to see another day__  
><em>_I swear it's true__  
><em>_Because a girl like you is impossible to find__  
><em>_It's impossible___

_So breathe in so deep__  
><em>_Breathe me in__  
><em>_I'm yours to keep__  
><em>_And hold onto your words__  
><em>_'Cause talk is cheap__  
><em>_And remember me tonight__  
><em>_When you're asleep___

_Because tonight will be the night that I will fall for you__  
><em>_Over again__  
><em>_Don't make me change my mind__  
><em>_Or I won't live to see another day__  
><em>_I swear it's true__  
><em>_Because a girl like you is impossible to find___

_Tonight will be the night that I will fall for you__  
><em>_Over again__  
><em>_Don't make me change my mind__  
><em>_Or I won't live to see another day__  
><em>_I swear it's true__  
><em>_Because a girl like you is impossible to find__  
><em>_You're impossible to find_

As soon as we finished, Mara disappeared from her window and the door suddenly burst open. She threw herself into Jerome's arms, her loose purple stonewash V-neck flowing in the wind. I waved at her, and then went back to the house. I opened the window in my room and watched them. They were talking, and then suddenly Jerome leaned down and kissed her. She kissed him back fervently, pulling him closer. They are just too cute. I laughed and then left them to their privacy.

"Hey I'm going on a walk. Be back in a few", I shouted to them. Both waved as they continued to kiss each other. I walked down the gravel path, eventually reaching the forest. As I continued walking down the path, heard something. The roar of a car, quickly approaching. Before I knew it, I was suddenly grabbed. My arms were tied behind my back and I was blindfolded. I started wildly kicking and thrashing around.

"Knock it off!"I heard a man's voice say. I stopped and focused on my hearing and smell. It smelled old and dusty. I heard the car as it pulled up at its destination about twenty minutes later. I was grabbed again and thrown into a place. My blindfold was removed from my eyes but shoved into my mouth. I looked around. It was an old warehouse. The windows were barred up, and there was an old and dirty red reclining chair in the back. (**Same warehouse Patricia was in when she was kidnapped**). The man turned towards me. He was wearing black slacks, a black turtle neck with a black leather jacket over it. He had white/blonde hair and icy blue eyes that were pure evil. He had the thick black mist. Victor's accomplice? "My name is Rufus Zeno".


	15. Chapter 15: Blood On My Hands

**Chapter 15 **

**Charn14- wow. I watched het huis…couldn't understand a word. Plus the characters looked kinda weird, and it was so different from the English version! **

**Infinite Peppermint- thank you so much! You're review made my day 100 times better. I love the percy Jackson books too! I was writing a fanfic about it, but it turned out really crappy so I didn't upload it. **

**Is there anywhere I can watch Das Haus (not Het Huis) with subtitles or an English translation? **

**Anyways, from the 22-29 I will be gone out of town and unfortunately cannot bring my laptop with me. So here is chapter 15! I promise I'll pick up right where I left off when I get back. **

Rufus Zeno. That name rang a bell….something about Jerome. The guy that's trying to kill Jerome!

"What do you want?" I asked.

"I want the elixir, I want the cup, and I want the chosen one", he gritted his teeth. I bet he has gingivitis from being so evil.

"I want a chocolate shake, a pony, and a real leather jacket. I have no idea what you are talking about", I lied. Well, about the last part. I could totally go for a chocolate shake right now.

"I know you know what I am talking about!" he yelled, gritting his teeth. "Maybe a few days without any food will get you to be more cooperative", he said with an evil smirk. I rolled my eyes. He was starting to irritate me.

"Whatever", I crossed my arms.

"I'll be back tonight". He shook his head and left. Now to find a way out. I checked the windows, and even tried to slash at them with the pocketknife I always keep with me. Nothing. I felt around for a hollow spot in the wall. Nothing. I moved the pile of boxes and searched along that wall. Finally something! One of the bricks was loose. I took my pocketknife and started to cut at it. After a while of cutting, it came out. If that one came loose, I could probably manage to get all the others around it loose to! Then, once I cut a big enough hole, I could jump out. Then again, it was two stories high. I could get really hurt, or even die. After loosening another brick and putting the first one back, I looked through the boxes. Lucky enough, there was a long rope. I could use it to get down! I took the rope and hid in it the pillow of the chair. I sat in the chair and put my head in my hands. As if on cue, it started raining. Damn, Jerome must be worried. I hope he's okay. Whatever I do, I'm gonna take this Rufus guy down.

Later that night, he came back. I was sitting in the old recliner, bored out of my mind. "Hello Hailey. How are you?" he asked with mock sweetness.

"Great. How are you?" I asked sarcastically. His face dropped to an evil glare.

"Now, have you decided to be a good little girl and tell me where the cup, the chosen one, and the elixir are?" he asked with clenched teeth, his hand in a fist.

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about!" I yelled back. He angrily slammed his fist into the solid brick wall before slamming the door as he left. As soon as I saw his car pull out and leave, I started cutting at the bricks again. I now had three out, in the shape of a pyramid. I needed about four up and seven across to get out. All in all, twenty-eight bricks. So, I kept chopping away at the bricks, until about 1:00 in the morning when I started to feel really sleepy. My arms were tired and sore. Plus, I needed a plan. I estimated I was about a two-hour's drive away from Anubis. I couldn't walk all the way. So, as Rufus enters the building, I jump out the window, hopefully land safety, hotwire his car and bust out. The only thing I was sure of was hotwiring his car. Jerome taught me how when we were little. I curled up in the chair and slowly fell asleep, terrorized by a never ending nightmare. Millions of different ghosts, all slowly drifting towards me, chanting something. But through the mass of mumbles it was impossible to tell what it was.

Then I was suddenly awaken, my face covered in a cold clammy sweat. I lay my head back against the uncomfortable fabric of the recliner and sigh. No- I need my rest if I was to escape tonight. But, I also needed to work on the bricks. I got out of the chair, swinging my Converse High-Tops clad feet onto the hard floor and dully treading over to the brick wall. I fetched out my black pocketknife and resumed cutting. Luckily, the area was right under a window so I could see when Rufus was approaching. If I kept cutting at the pace I was at, I'd be out by afternoon. Only about seven more bricks to go. I looked out the window, and through the slight drizzle of rain streaming down the barred windows I saw Rufus's car pull up. I hid the knife, put the bricks back, and sat in the chair. I pretended to play with the rubber bracelet on my wrist, snapping it to make different kinds of sounds. He burst in.

"Good morning. Now, are we gonna start off the day good by telling me where the cup is?" he asked expectantly.

"Then I guess it's gonna be a pretty bad morning, 'cause I don't know what you're talking about!" I yelled back at him. Thank God I'm a good actor.

"Maybe starvation will jog your memory", he responded cockily, turning around and leaving. Five minutes after he left, I started cutting again. Six more bricks. Hours later, mid-afternoon, Rufus's car pulled up again. Why can't the creep just leave me alone? I hid my knife and put the bricks back again, and sat in the chair. Thankfully, that night was escape time.

"Will you leave me alone? I told you, I don't know anything about this cup thing, or this chosen one, or some elixir. The only thing I know is where to get Elixir", I sigh as he came in.

"You know where to get the elixir?" he asked with sudden interest.

"Yeah. Any store; it's the most famous energy drink out there", I said obviously. He clutched his head in his hands, knotting his fingers in his hair.

"Not that elixir! The elixir of life you ignorant child!" he screamed. I shrugged. He furiously spun around and stomped off. As soon as he was gone, I pulled out the knife and started to cut out the bricks. As sunset approached, I finally finished. My plan was finally finished. I cover the area opened by bricks with a few boxes, Rufus comes in, I jump him with a brick and knock him out, pin him to the ground with the big chair, jump out, hijack his car and go. If he somehow escaped, the rain would provide the perfect cover. Nobody can see anything in this weather. I saw Rufus come. Action time. I braced myself.

**(Turn on the song Mother Murder- Hollywood Undead to add a cool effect to this scene)**

I left my knife open in my pocket. Dangerous, but whatever. I hid behind the wall where the door was, a heavy brick in my hand. My heart was beating a million miles per hour in my heart. The door slowly moaned open, and Rufus entered. As soon as I saw his gray head, I chucked the coarse, faded brown brick at him with all my strength. He caught it with inhuman speed. "You really think a brick could stop me?" he mocked with an evil glint in his eye. Now was the time; I quietly slipped my knife out of my pocket without him noticing. Then, with an alien speed of my own, I threw it at him. It stuck in the side of his stomach, and he fell to the ground. He moaned out in pain. I grabbed another brick and threw it at him. It hit him square in the chest.

"Looks like I won", I shrugged nonchalantly. But inside, I was freaking out. My nails cut the inside of my hand as I clenched my fist. As I dug my nails in harder, I felt warm blood slide down. Now was the dangerous part. Well, sort of. I threw another brick at his head as hard as I could, and he got knocked out. I quickly pulled the knife out of his side. It was disgusting. I wiped off the blood onto the chair, which was right next to me. As I started moving boxes to side for my big jump, Rufus got up. He started staggering drunkenly as he regained his balance. I started wildly kicking boxes out of the way, pausing to throw a couple at him to slow him down. Finally, it was time. I took one look back, and slid my body through. I pushed off, and next thing I knew, I was falling. A jumble of thoughts passed through my head, but the only prominent one was 'Please let me be safe'. I don't know who I was praying to, but I just wanted to hit the ground safely. I tumbled onto the cold wet grass, rain falling down hard, soaking me to the bone. I rolled over before stumbling up, my vision sort of blurred by the rain. I looked around; I was out! But it wasn't over yet. I jumped into his truck. Idiot left it unlocked. I threw open the bright red door and saw what I was looking for: the steering wheel. I took my knife and opened the small area under it, where the wires were located. Red to blue, blue to black, no! Yellow to red, blue to black, damn! What was it? I frantically searched my brain, and the combination came to me. Red to black, black to blue, blue to yellow, and yellow to red. The truck's engine roared to life, and I slammed my foot down onto the pedal. My long wet side bangs clung to the side of my face, the moisture of the rain turning them into an almost black shade. My black t-shirt was thoroughly soaked, and I was shivering. The truck took off at a surprisingly fast pace as I saw Rufus scream in a terrifying rage as I drove off. I never drove before, and this was the scariest part. I went into a deep, dark forest. Trees surrounded by every side. A black crow swooped in front of the car. I ignored the creeping sensation in my stomach and kept driving. It was an eerie quiet, the only noise coming from the faint acoustic songs on the radio. I was scared out of my mind. It's hard to control a car when you're only 5'2. I drove for about ten miles, the radio being my only source of comfort, when things took a turn for the worse. I sped up, trying to get closer to home faster. Then I somehow lost control of the car. I drove over a sheet of ice too quickly, and I slammed into the tree. Next thing I knew immense pain was being shot up my body. Broken glass from the windshield splattered across my body, and warm blood soaked my shirt. The branch of the tree scraped across my shoulder, ripping open my shirt and creating a bloody gash. Pieces of glass created scratches on my cheeks and on my neck, as well as my arms. Then I noticed the smoke. I crashed! I jumped out of the truck and backed up. I watched as the rain hit the now-open insides of the car and it started smoking even more. I took a step back, a premonition of what's coming. The car then exploded into a million pieces, sparks flying everywhere. I covered my face as the hot embers landed on my arms, each creating an individual impact on my skin. I turned away and ran, until I was in the middle of a dark path, barely lit up by the shadowed moonlight. I cursed. What am I gonna do now? Walk all the way home? I guess so. I shivered, the rain chilling me to the bone. I re-traced my steps back to the exploded car, and followed the road I was originally supposed to go on with the car. I ran along the side of it. What if Rufus caught up? That question was the one thing that kept me running. I entered a large neighborhood with lots of twists, turns, and alleyways. I looked around; it didn't seem like such a good place. I entered a small, dark alley when I noticed something. A beat up old silver Corola with a bright yellow 'For Sale' sign taped to the window. I slowly approached it, silently creeping against the hard stone floor. I looked in the car; the door was unlocked. I warily opened it and sat in the driver's seat. Since it's so small, it would be pretty easy to drive. Plus, Rufus wouldn't recognize it. I took my knife and cut open the area under it and hotwired it. It immediately came to life. To the best of my luck, the gas was full. I pushed down on the pedal and started driving. It was a tight squeeze through the rest of the alley, but before I knew it I was back on the road. I recognized the shooting range after about an hour of driving. I looked at the glowing red numbers of the digital clock; it was 1:45 in the morning. About twenty more minutes then I'd be back at Anubis. I looked in my rear view mirror, my face was caked in dry blood. I looked down at myself; my shirt was torn, tattered, and soaked with blood. My arms had lines of blood running down them, but not covering the evident burns from the hot embers in the crash. Damn, I was a mess. I stopped driving about a mile away from the school, and ditched the car in front of an old antiques shop. The rain was still falling, but now it was more of a rain than a storm. I started walking back to Anubis, feeling safer than I did before. But I knew I wasn't completely safe until I got back to the house. The rain once again soaked me, making me shiver. My black Converse high-tops make a squishy sound with each step taken. I eventually saw a dim outline of the house, and despite it all, I smiled.


	16. Chapter 16: Home Sweet Home

**Chapter 16**

**Infinite Peppermint- thanks, my trip was awesome. Hahaha I wish they would use that for season 2…maybe even cast me for the role of Hailey! I can do an awesome British accent. I did read the Hunger Games, but I haven't really found a good plot to write a Fanfiction on. I also think the people the cast for the movie….terrible! Well, not the people themselves but just what they look like in comparison to the book's characters.  
>Have you seen Tower Prep? It seems to me like if you're a HOA fan you would love Tower Prep. I am working on quite a few Tower Prep stories but I haven't been because I've been so focused with this story. You're awesome, and thanks for reviewing!<strong>

**Charn14- yeah…so why did Mara and Mick break up in Das Haus before she went out with Jerome/Magnus? **

**Mango Smoothie- Yeah, Hollywood Undead is my favorite band so I really wanted to use one of their songs**

**IDK- yeah that's not really how you hotwire a car I sorta made that up…I watched a video of how to do it on Youtube but I couldn't follow so I made it up hahahaha**

**2theleftx- yeah she's pretty strong….she's been thru a lot in life so yeah. Thank you!**

**I have one question for everyone. I was watching HOA and wondering…where do Trudy and Victor sleep? I've never seen their rooms or anything, and I can't possibly imagine where they'd be. **

**Sorry I was late on uploading it, I got back Friday and couldn't think of a good idea for this chapter. It's sort of a filler. It may take a while for me to update for the next time, while I still think of what could happen next. If you have any ideas, please post them in a review. Thanks **

Jerome's POV

She was gone. The night Mara and I got together. I wanted to ask for her opinion on something nice to do for Mara, but when I went up to her room Nina and Amber hadn't seen her. I thought she was still out. Then when I checked the next morning, she was still gone. Then I got a call from Rufus. He told me he took her, and he wouldn't give her back and he'd hurt her if we didn't give him the cup, Joy, and the elixir.

"She's gonna be alright", Mara muttered to me soothingly as she rubbed my back. We were sitting up in her room. Patricia was sleeping over in Nina and Amber's room so I could just stay with Mara. It was early in the morning, like 3 AM, and Mara and I were laying on her bed. Well, we were. I got up and I was avidly pacing around the room. Then suddenly, Mara ran over to the window. She peered through the darkness of the early morning, past all the rain.

"What are you looking for?" I asked irritably. I couldn't help it- I was beyond worry for my sister.

"There's a shadow! Someone's climbing up a tree!" she exclaimed, walked over and grabbing my hand.

"It could be Hailey! Where's she going?" I asked with a sudden burst of excitement, drowning out my earlier sadness.

"To her room", Mara answered. We ran over to Nina and Amber's room, and banged loudly on the door.

"What?" Patricia asked groggily, with a menacing glare.

"Hailey! She's coming back! She-she's climbing up here", I shoved past her, running over and throwing open the window.

"What are you doing here?" Amber yelled as she sat up in her bed. Stupid.

"Hailey's coming back!" Patricia told her. We all crowded by the window. I saw Hailey's shadow on the tree. Suddenly I saw her hand, all bloodied up and covered with glass, as the rest of her emerged. She looked terrible! Cuts marred her face, glass stuck in her arms, blood everywhere. There were also burns on her body. What the bloody hell did Rufus do to my sister? I was going to KILL him when I find him. I put out my arms and pulled her up. She was significantly lighter. Before she was about 90 pounds but when I pulled her about she was like 70. As I looked at her, the rain washed away some of the falling blood. 'How did she get here?' I kept wondering. I finally managed to pull her completely in. As soon as she was in, I lay her down on her bed. She started violently coughing.

"Hailey!" we all exclaimed.

She laid her head back on her pillow. "Hey", she greeted us meekly.

"What happened to you?" I asked worriedly.

"Got kidnapped by a guy named Rufus Zeno. Knocked him out with a brick and hijacked his car. Crashed it. Hijacked another car. Ditched it in town and walked back", she explained, pausing to catch her breath.

"I told you- knowing how to hijack a car is very useful", I said smugly, hi-fiving her.

"How did you crash his car?" Nina asked with a frown. Downer.

"There was a sheet of ice on the road and I didn't see it 'cause it was dark and it crashed into a tree. Then it exploded after I got out. Then some of the pieces fell on me and gave me these burns", she stretched out her arms so we could see.

"Are you okay?" Mara asked, with genuine concern. She's so amazing.

"Yeah I just got a little glass in my arm from the windshield when I crashed". Ouch.

"I'm gonna go get Trudy", Amber announced, running downstairs. Nina and Patricia went down with her.

"How did you knock out Rufus?" I asked, settling on the bed. No way could she have just thrown a brick at him.

"You remember that pocketknife you gave me when I was five?" I nodded my head.

Mara turned towards me. "You gave her a pocketknife when she was five?" she asked in disbelief. I shrugged.

"Well, the first day I got there I noticed one of the bricks in the wall was loose. So, I started cutting at them. I figured I could wait for Rufus to come, somehow knock him out, take his car and come back. I cut out enough bricks so I could jump off the second floor. Then, tonight, he came and I threw one at him, but it missed. I used it as a diversion, then threw the knife at him. He fell down, and I dropped a brick on his head. I pulled out the knife, ran to the car, hotwired it, crashed, hotwired another car, ditched it in town, and came back here".

Damn she was good. Mara's mouth was gaping open. Hailey got up. "I'm gonna go to the bathroom. Get all this glass out of my arm", she said, filling the awkward silence. She walked out with her pajamas in hand, the water on her clothes leaving an imprint on her bed. Mara came and sat next to me. Indulged in a comfortable silence, she grasped my hand. Trudy suddenly burst through the door, the rest of the house following her. She looked around in confusion.

"Where's Hailey?" she asked, pulling her fluffy pink bathrobe closer.

"In the bathroom. She'll be back in a min-" I began, but Hailey burst through the door. Trudy ran up and enveloped her in a large hug.

"Sweetie! I'm so glad you're back home and safe!" Trudy exclaimed. Hailey gave a small nod and a smile as the rest of the house crowded around her. Her hair was still soaking wet, I noticed as her bangs clung to her face. Suddenly, Alex ran in. As soon as she saw Hailey, she went ballistic. Hailey leaned down and picked her up as she completely licked her face. Hailey giggled and hugged her close. As she did, I also noticed she had gauze wrapped around her wrist.

"What'd you do to your wrist?" I asked.

"I think I sprained it climbing up the tree", she explained. I was so ready to torture Rufus; make him pay for what he did to my little sister.

"Good-night", everyone mumbled, leaving suddenly.

"It's like three in the morning. You must be pretty tired. Good-night", I said, kissing her forehead. She nodded and snuggled into her blanket. After a few seconds, she faded off into sleep. Seeing her face like that, worry-free with a child-like innocence so amazingly pure, it just made me wanna hurt Rufus. Because nobody messes with the Clarkes and gets away with it.

**Like I said earlier, if you have any ideas for the next chapter please post it in a review. I promise you'll get credit. Thanks!**


	17. Chapter 17: I'm Coming Home

**Chapter 17**

**Jenc0449- ikr? It's times like these when I wish I had a big brother**

**Izzi08- well, I rlly hope to see that in House of Anubis next season**

**2theleftx2- lol idk yet…I have a great idea for this chapter it took forever to come up with but yaaaaaaay **

**Infinite peppermint- thx I love hearing from you! You're a great reviewer. You were right I was stuck in hiatus. Thanks for you support. Yeah I sorta strayed away from the mystery, but after the next few chapters I'm gonna get right back on it. Once again, thank you. This chapter is dedicated for you for getting me back on my feet…I mean my keyboard hahaha**

"Hailey! Hailey! C'mon wake up", Nina cried desperately. My eyes fluttered open to see her and Amber standing over me. Sunlight flooded through the window, burning my eyes. I winced and shut my eyes again. My head flopped back on the pillow. They both sigh in relief when they saw I was awake. Then they tackled me with huge hugs. I clenched my fist and shook with agony as Amber accidently pressed against my wrist. Luckily, they didn't notice. I wouldn't want them to feel bad or anything. My head throbbed painfully as the memories of last night hit me full force.

"What time is it?" I muttered groggily, my eyes slowly closing again.

"It's like 3 in the afternoon. You've been sleeping for a long time", Amber said.

"I'm just tired. And achy sorta", I told them, my voice hoarse and scratchy.

"Do you want us to go get Jerome? He's been waiting all day to see you", Nina offered. I gave a small nod, and they quickly exited the room. A minute later, Jerome ran in and tackled me with a hug. I leaned my head against his soft, warm chest.

"I'm tired", I mumbled, my eyes closing.

"I know you are but you have to wake up. Just go to sleep early tonight", he mumbled.

"Fine", I groaned irritably, getting up.

"Also, Mr. Sweet said that since Spring Break is next week, you can just leave now and get some rest".

"No", I shook my head. "I'm staying". He nodded and helped me get up.

_-One Week Later-_

Nina, Amber, and I were in our rooms, packing up for Spring Break. Amber was packing all of her summer clothes and swim suits. She was taking a vacation to the Bahamas with her parents. Nina was staying with Fabian and his family ,and Jerome and I were going home. Suddenly there was a knock at the door. I opened it to see Trudy standing there nervously. She handed me the phone.

"It's your father", she whispered. My father? Talking to me? Voluntarily? This is weird.

"Hello?" I said warily.

"Sally and I will be out of town the two weeks you and Jerome are home for break", he said monotonously.

"Well actually our Spring Break is the two weeks after that", I lied, just to see what he'd say. Right as I said that, Jerome walked in. Once he realized what I said, he shook his head angrily.

"I'm busy those weeks too", he lied curtly before hanging up.

"Thanks a lot", I mumbled, handing the phone back to Trudy.

"Why do you even bother?" Jerome asked, the door shutting behind him.

"Just curious. I knew he'd do that", I replied, throwing the last of my things in the suitcase. I put my guitars in their cases and set them beside the suitcase on the wall.

"Supper!" Trudy called, and we all gathered around the table.

"So what are you all doing for break?" Fabian asked cheerfully.

"Me and some buds are going to a soccer camp in New York, in America", Mick answered, his mouth full of meatloaf and potatoes.

"Staying in Scotland with some family", Alfie responded in a manner much like Mick's.

"Going to the Bahamas with my parents", Amber said.

Mara said, "I'm just gonna spend some time with my parents and my brother".

"Same here", Patricia said glumly.

"Jer and I are just staying home too", I shrugged.

"What about you two lovebirds?" Patricia asked Nina and Fabian.

"I'm staying at Fabian's house", Nina blushed.

We all gave each other knowing grins. We chatted for a while longer, hung out and joked around, then finally the next day came. Nina and Fabian left first, then Amber, then Patricia, then Mick, then Alfie, then Mara, and finally me and Jerome. A small black cab came to pick us up and take us back home to Basingstoke, thirty miles on the outskirts of London. We began throwing jelly beans into each others mouths on the way there and listened to music. Finally, we were home. Whatever that means.


	18. Chapter 18: Break Part 1

Chapter 18

**I'm thinking that after this story is finished I'm gonna do a sequel based on Hailey's life when she is around 16 featuring the Anubis cast…would you guys like that? It will (of course) feature lots of Jara Fabina and Amfie. So- would you guys read it if I write it? **

I slung my backpack onto my shoulder and waved off the cab, the last of our things on the doorstep. I looked up at our large, two story house. As much as I hated it, I missed this place. Jerome was taking the heavier bags upstairs while I brought the rest inside. I looked around and took a large breath. It still smelt like Sally's cheap, slutty, overly-strong perfume. I entered through the grand double wooden doors to see the huge, neat living room. As I walked to the curled stairs, the travertine tiles disappeared into a soft golden carpet. The soft red leather couches looked inviting, especially for as tired as I was, but I wanted to go visit the rest of the house before sleeping. "Hailey!" Jerome yelled from upstairs. I dropped the maroon bags and quickly sprinted up the stairs.

"What?" I asked, leaning against the porcelain doors of my dad and Sally's master bedroom. My bare toes embedded into the soft fleece carpet.

"Whose stuff is this?" he asked, turning around to reveal a lacy red bra in his left hand and a picture of Dad and Sally on the beach in California.

"That's Sally. Our new step mum", I mumbled, knowing the exact reaction that would follow.

"Step mum? That bastard remarried!" he yelled. I gave a small nod. "And you didn't bother to tell me?" he asked again, clenching his teeth in that angry way meaning he was gonna explode any minute.

"I thought you knew", I said bluntly. I came and sat next to him on the bed. "If you want I can call Mitch and we can hang out with him and Mike tomorrow".

"Alright. We better get to bed now", he got up, going into his room. I went into my bright yellow room and opened up the window. I saw Mitch tapping his drumsticks on his table. I opened the top drawer of my oak desk and took out an old, worn baseball. I threw it at Mitch's window. His head immediately shot up, a confused look on his face. Once he saw me, he gave me that absolutely adorable smirk and a shy wave. Over the past few months, he grew a bit. He was a bit taller and his face was more defined. But then James and Gabe appeared behind him. I used to fancy both a little bit, but as soon as they started bullying me and Mitch I began to hate them. I turned away and began to unpack. Out of the corner of my eye I saw him let out a frustrated sigh and then toss James and X Box controller. I closed the window and shut the curtains. Gabe peered through the window and smirked as he caught a glimpse of my upset expression. I put on my pajamas and crawled into bed. James and Gabe were also really cute. Then a realization dawned on me. Mitch didn't close the window. I snuck under the window and cracked it open just a peek and started listening.

"So Hailey's back in town", James said awkwardly.

"Yeah. She's been at boarding school with her brother", Mitch answered impassively.

"She looks sorta cute", Gabe added. I blushed. I used to have a huge crush on Gabe. He had short brown hair that spiked up at the front and light green eyes. James was short with wavy blonde hair and sharp blue eyes.

"C'mon mate!" Mitch winced. I shut the window and went to bed, just trying to decide whether I was happy or sad to be back.

The next morning I showered and got ready, changing into skinny jeans and a purple and white baseball tee with a large black music note in the center. Jerome and I got downstairs at the same time and we sat at the counter. "What are we gonna do for breakfast?" I voiced our thoughts after a second of sitting there for an awkward silence. I went into the cabinet and looked for some cereal. There was just a box of Sally's stupid bran fiber cereal. Jerome and I choked it down. "What do you wanna do?" I asked.

"Mara's taking a tram here. We're gonna spend the day together", he sigh dreamily. I shook my head at him then grabbed my cell phone. I dialed Mitch's number.

"Hey", he mumbled.

"Hey. Do you wanna hang out today?" I asked hopefully.

"Can't. James, Gabe, and I are going out. Maybe later", he hung up.

"I'm gonna go hang out at the mall. Bye", I mumbled sadly before grabbing my skateboard and heading on to the mall. I finally got there. I walked around for a while, stopping the Apple store and a few clothing stores. I didn't get anything. As I walked into Shake Away, an amazing smoothie store, I ran into James, Gabe, and Mitch sitting at a table in the store. I walked up to the lady with bright orange hair. "One vanilla jellybean to go", I mumbled, handing her three pounds. I sat by myself in a corner of the bright colored shop. It's the only store that combines classic flavors of shakes with candy. Jerome taught me the vanilla jellybean combination. It's amazing! Mitch came over and plopped down in the stool next to me.

"Hey. Sorry about earlier, on the phone", he apologized sincerely.

"Whatever", I glared at him, getting up and grabbing my smoothie before leaving. I rode home as fast as I could on my skateboard, the cold air whipping past my face, taking occasional sips of the sweet smoothie. I threw my skateboard outside and slammed the door shut as I entered the house. I turned around to see Jerome and Mara intertwined, staring at me with confused expressions on their face.

"Is that a vanilla jellybean from Shake Away?" he asked, pulling away from Mara.

"Yeah", I said glumly. He got up and snatched it out of my hands. "Jerome give it back!" I yelled, trying to reach it but he kept holding it over my reach. He drank it all and handed me back the empty cup. I took it and glared at him. In return he gave me a stupid smirk. I kicked him where it hurts then ran out.

"If you're going to Shake Away bring back two more!" he yelled.

"Fine!" I yelled back.

Right as I fetched my skateboard from the corner of the yard, James, Gabe, and Mitch walked by. James and Gabe went inside his house while Mitch ran over to me. I crossed my arms and glared at him. He ignored it and gave me a huge hug. I rolled my eyes but gave in and hugged him back. Right when he pulled away I smacked him on the arm. "I'm sorry!" he held up his hands in defeat. "How about we hang out for a bit? Maybe catch a movie or something?" he offered, holding out his arm.

I wrapped my arm around his. "Let's go".


	19. Chapter 19: Break Part 2

Jerome's Little Sister

Break part 2

Okay so reviews have been slowing down like a lot. I get it; excitement for the show is obviously dying since it hasn't been airing as much. But I still like reviews hahaha. But don't worry- I'm not gonna be one of those people who demand like five or ten reviews before the upload the next chapter. So yeah. I'm sorry it's taken me so long to update I've just been busy. So, here is Break part 2 and I promise I will make an effort to update more. Also, tell me what you think of Hailey and Mitch. I need to know where they're relationship is going. And lastly, I feel like such a douchebag for not updating the entire frickin' summer. I love you guys and I'm so sorry. I had no inspiration (still don't ahaha) so yeah. But I tried to make this work.

"Jerome!" I yelled, flying down the stairs, clutching my laptop by the screen. He and Mara were laying on the couch, snogging the life out of each other.

"What is it now?" he sigh as he and Mara pulled apart. I had interrupted them three times before, and both of them were starting to get a little irritated with me.

"Read this!" I demanded. He took my laptop and began to read the email with an eye roll. Mara peered over at the screen and Jerome began to read it aloud.

"We are proud to inform you, Hailey Clark, that we would like you to join the RSPCA's program for animal officers once you have turned the age of 18. The police has sent us your file and we are astounded by your history of animal rescues, particularly dog fights. We have contacted your father and he has agreed to this. Please contact us back soon", Jerome said with a smile.

"Hailey this is great!" Mara exclaimed, getting up and hugging me.

"Wait- what exactly does this email mean?" Jerome asked, a confused look crossing his face.

"It means when I'm done with high school, I'll be one of these people who go and rescue animals when I grow up. An animal cop", I explained, a wide smile still etched on my face.

"This is amazing", Mara congratulated me, getting up and hugging me.

"It was almost worth interrupting our kiss. Almost", Jerome joked, but nevertheless giving me a big hug.

"I'm gonna go email everyone. I'll see you later", I said hurriedly, tripping up the stairs caused by my excitement. I picked up the phone and, after hesitating a moment, called my father.

"What?" he barked into the phone, and I flinched at his tone.

"Dad have you checked your email recently?" I asked.

"Are you stupid? Of course I've checked my email. Why?" he hissed at me.

"Did you get the one that the RSPCA sent?" I said, holding my breath.

"Yes. Please tell them not to email me again. It's a nuisance to have to deal with stuff like that", he ordered. I was crushed. He didn't even care.

"Well thanks for responding and telling them you agreed to it. Bye Dad. Love-" he hung up, cutting me off. "You", I sigh. I trudged downstairs and threw on a sweatshirt. "I'm going for a walk. Be back whenever", I mumbled, walking out the door into the frigid air. I decided to go to the forest, where I could clear my head. I sat down about a mile away from the graveyard when my head began throbbing again. I screamed in pain, but nobody could hear. Suddenly my mother's image appeared in front of me. For some reason, it was strong. She looked like a substantial form; not flickering and faded like all the other ghosts I've seen. Probably because I was near her grave.

"I am proud of you. Your father is too. He's a good man sweetheart", she said gently.

"He doesn't care. He never has and he never will", I whispered, tears beginning to fall gently down my face.

"He is still overcome with grief. He isn't accepting that you are not to blame for my death. Jerome somehow got over it. In time, he will too. But I am not here to talk about him. I'm here for you. You are amazing, love. I can't think of one better person for this than you. And if you ever need my help, don't summon me from here", she said, pointing to my had. "Summon me from here", she pointed to my heart. "I love you", she said fading away.

"Wait- mum!" I called out, but it was too late. She was gone. Again. The grief hit me hard. I needed her. Right here, right now. But at least she came. She cared enough to come. That made me feel a whole lot better. So I went home. I acted like everything was okay. I told Jerome and Mara I just had a headache and the walk helped to calm it down. Mara stayed over. In Jerome's room. Luckily, I slept with headphones on. God knows what kind of nightmares I would have had if I hadn't. But the next day, the nightmare began.

I was digging through the attic to pass time when I found a picture. It was of my dad with his grandfather at a young age. My great-grandfather was Rufus Zeno. "Jerome!" I screamed. He came up immediately. Mara had some family thing today so he was moping around the house. High maintenance much? Gosh...so anyways, he climbed the ladder and found me sitting on the floor holding the picture with shaking hands. "Look", I said, holding out the picture to him. He took it warily and looked at it.

"Rufus is our great-grandfather?" he asked, looking like a lost puppy. I bit my lip and gave a small nod. A sudden rage took over him as he threw the picture across the room. "You can't tell anyone? You got that?" he screamed at me. I was freaked, so I just nodded. "God if anyone finds out, we're dead. They'll turn on us. Think we were helping Zeno the whole time. We're so screwed", he mumbled, pacing nervously.

"Jerome, I have to go. Mitch and I are meeting for smoothies. Do you want me to get you one?" I asked gently, getting incredibly scared by him.

"Just go. I need to think", he roared, kicking over a box. I scrambled down the ladder and out the door. Mitch and I went for smoothies and that helped to take my mind off what happened for a while. But when we got home Jerome was still acting like a crazy freak. He was acting like that for the rest of the week. The car ride back to Anubis was silent. Rufus Zeno always messed everything up. Always. And next time I saw him, I'd make him pay.


	20. Chapter 20: The Cup

Jerome's Little Sister Chapter 20

Thanks for all the reviews! I love reading you're feedback and I'm glad to have such awesome readers. This one's for you guys (well they all are I just feel like a rockstar saying that :D) And for those of you who watch MTV's Teen Wolf, I just wrote a story on it called 'Scott's Little Sister'. I know, I kind of took this story's idea and put it in there but yeah it was just a good idea so…check it out!

So Jerome has a little sister in the new season….that really kinda killed my inspiration.

**Do you guys think I should replace Hailey with Poppy and then just continue or end this story and start the sequel? **

At ()- yeaaaah see in the sequel I'm planning they do get together (with lots of drama of course!) and Hailey finally understands her powers with help from the Anubis cast.

At PolkaPiztka- oh don't worry; I'm gonna make Mitch fight for her. Gabe and another mystery guy will be thrown in there. The sequel will be something good.

I was related to the piece of shit bastard that tried to kill both me and my brother. Bloody hell. The news was still sinking in. I understood why we couldn't tell. But if everyone somehow found out, they'd think we were hiding this because we were helping Rufus. Either way we lose. That's what happens when Rufus gets involved. But which way would we lose less?

"Just act like what happened in the attic never happened at all, okay? If we don't give them something to suspect, no problem", Jerome said confidently, smoothing out his hair. I nodded and we went into the house. We were the first ones there. Trudy barraged us with hugs and showered us in attention. Trudy's husband died before she could have any kids so she treated us like we were her kids. She was the only mother I'd ever known. Next came Alfie, who started jumping around like a spazz. Then came Mick. The guys began to talk about sports and I sat there, bored. I considered unpacking but it would be more fun with Nina and Amber. Finally Amber came, giving me someone to talk to.

Well, kind of. Mara and Patricia came. Then, lastly, Nina and Fabian came. We all sat down for supper and talked about our vacation. Well, Amber mostly talked but the rest of us got a few words in. Jerome and I hid the whole Rufus thing without a flaw. I was feeling guilty inside, though. How could I hide something this big from my best friends? People who are practically my family. The dark part of my head whispered 'they'd turn on you in an instant if they found out you were related to Rufus'. Would they? I had no idea how they would react. I looked over at Jerome; it was tearing him up not telling Mara. But she didn't have time to notice his strange attitude because prom was coming up and he actually asked her. He wrote a song about it, and performed it to her. Nina and Fabian were going together, Mick was taking Amber, and Alfie was taking Patricia just as friends. I didn't want to go because I was too young.

-Prom Night-

"Where's my mascara?" Amber screamed.

"You left it in the bathroom", I replied, playing Angry Birds on my phone. Everyone was getting ready for prom. We were also getting ready for something else…tonight was the night they were trying to assemble the Cup. That's another reason I wasn't going. I was going to stay back and watch Victor. Let's hope all goes well.

**Sorry this was so short, but that was the only way I could quickly cut to the next chapter. Ugh I'm so mad about this whole Poppy character. Writing from the point of Jerome's little sister was supposed to be really unique, and now it just seems like I'm changing the point of view of another character. **

**What should I do? **


	21. Chapter 21: Initiation Into Teenagerhood

Okay, so I guess I'm just gonna keep Hailey and continue this story, but with the mask of Anubis. And based on Jerome and Poppy's relationship with their and parents and with them in the show, I'm really starting to feel like they stole my story. Lol. Well, here goes nothing.

PolkaPizka- yeah that is what I was considering. The thing is, the whole sequel will just be following their love lives about 3-4 years later, when Hailey's about 16. And then there might just be a little mystery along the way…

Dally2- Jerome's little sister who he despises because his mom died giving birth to her comes to live with him in Anubis house. She finds out about the whole Sibuna thing by following them down to the cellar and watching Victor's ceremony. She saves a bunch of stray animals from a burning building. She almost died, but she was okay and she and Jerome made up while she was in the hospital. They got a dog named Spark. She comes home, and there's a mice infestation so they stay in the school and play truth or dare. While Hailey's sleeping, she wakes up with a terrible headache and sees her Mom's ghost. They go back to their house and see everything's destroyed so they go into town and buy a bunch of stuff to prank Victor with. She kids kidnapped by Rufus. She goes home for spring break then finds out he's her great grandpa.

**Also, to those who just started reading this I DID NOT change Poppy's character into my own. I had this idea waaaaaaaay before season 2 aired, so no hate reviews saying I stole the idea. **

Life was good. The Cup was hidden. The mystery was solved. Amber and Alfie were finally a couple. Alex was growing up to be a big, strong, and healthy dog. Joy was back. She seemed kind of nice, but also kind of a bitch. I heard her totally trashing Nina and saw her failed attempt to flirt with Fabian, so I decided I didn't like her. But today was a good day. I would finally be a teenager! I woke up to a chorus of happy birthday from my housemates, and went downstairs to a delicious breakfast. We all decided to ditch school and go into town to celebrate. We went bowling, ate some pizza there, and walked around town. Once again, Jerome and Alfie went nuts inside the candy store.

At around 5:00 we all caught a cab home. How the ten of us squeezed inside one tiny cab, I'll never figure out. We all arrived home laughing and smiling to see a huge feast on the table. There was every type of food, all smelling absolutely delicious. We dug in, devoured every savory morsel of food. After some amazing cake, everyone started chanting 'Presents! Presents!' so we all sat on the couch. Jerome went upstairs to get something, and came back down with a beautiful red guitar. It had black pickups and abalone binding with star inlays. It was amazing. I was so happy I almost cried. Everyone in the house pitched in for it, so I plugged it into my amp and began playing. It was incredible! Mitch also sent me some vintage records he picked up. It was the best birthday a person could ask for. With a smile on my face, I went to bed at 10. At around 12, I got a splitting headache. But I didn't mind. I knew it was my mom. She sat on the edge of my bed, beside a snoring Alex, a gentle smile of her face.

"Hey mom", I said.

"Hey sweetie", she replied. An awkward silence filled the air.

"You're thirteen now. Big things are in store for you. Well, besides dating", she said with a small laugh. "If Jerome ever allows a boy to come within a hundred feet of you".

I let out a forced laugh. "Why, um, why did you come?"

She reached out to touch my cheek, but her hand just went right through me. She pulled away. "I needed to see you. To warn you. You may think this whole mystery thing is all over. But it's not. There are more things in store for you. A lot more things", she said urgently. Her image flickered for a second.

I let it sink in for a second before looking up to her. "Will it ever end?" I asked.

"One day, sweetheart. But for now, you need to be stronger than ever. This is a gift that you have, not a curse. But the more people that find out, the more danger you'll be in. People _will_ want to use you. You need this gift more than ever right now".

"You mean Jerome, don't you? If he finds out, he'll just use me to talk to you", I sigh.

"Not just him. Others may want to use you too. But only use this gift if you have to. The more you use it, the more it hurts you. It'll just get worse and worse". I nodded in understanding. "Happy Birthday sweetie. I love you". She faded away, and all the pressure in my head was instantly released. I was suddenly really tired. I curled up under the warm covers and drifted off to a world where I could just be normal.

**Also, to those who just started reading this I DID NOT change Poppy's character into my own. I had this idea waaaaaaaay before season 2 aired, so no hate reviews saying I stole the idea. **


	22. Chapter 22: Lockets Don't Equal Luck

I'm not continuing with the storyline in the show for season 2! So here's the summary for this new mystery:

**The dead are coming back more than ever to haunt Hailey. While trying to figure out what this means, she also has to deal with a new crush on an Anubis housemate. Trying to keep track of a reckless, dead-seeing little sister and a eavesdropping girlfriend is harder than it looks; Jerome of all people should know. And as for Mara, she's beginning to wonder why everyone's been acting so weird lately. What the heck is going on? Maybe everything's not so fine after all…**

**Who do you guys think she'll have a crush on? Leave your answers in the reviews! **

(The next plot summary for the next bunch of chapters is above) I was up first thing in the morning, lounging around the house while everyone was fast asleep. I couldn't help but be super energetic. Kaysea and Charnette were bringing Spark and the puppies to visit for the _whole _day! I had missed them lots, and couldn't wait to see them.

After a hearty breakfast made by the one and only Trudy, all of us were sitting on the floor, the puppies and Spark squirming about in the excitement of being reunited with Alex. Patricia was explaining the whole puppy situation to Joy, and she didn't look too happy about not being included with the whole 'naming' and 'birthing' process. I kind of felt bad for her. Spark came over to me and plopped down in my lap. I gave her a small kiss on her head. Kaysea and Charnette were watching us with bemused expressions while sipping tea. They had lots of grocery shopping to tend to, so we were here with the puppies.

"Hey guys. I have a surprise for you!" Fabian said with excitement, holding Gabriel. We all followed him outside into the Anubis backyard and saw a professional photo set up. "We're going to take some professional photos of the puppies and Spar- Rachel and have them professionally printed by my cousin". We all cheered. There was also a huge trunk full of cute little outfits and collars. The puppies would take an individual photo and then one with us. Clue and Gabriel were dressed up like Indiana Jones, and Nina even put her locket around Clue for the picture. Gabriel also had a little plaid puppy shirt thing so he really captured the whole 'Fabian' thing. Next was Diamond. She had a bright pink collar with fake studded gems and a sparkly little jacket. The funniest thing was that she was actually _posing _for the pictures.

"That's my little Diamond!" Amber cooed. I heard Jerome give a slight chuckle. Next up was Flower. She was wearing little glasses and a collar with a big daisy on it. A split second after her picture was taken, Jester knocked her off the black stool. He was wearing a classic Jester hat and a purple collar covered with bells. In both pictures, he had his tongue sticking out which gave me a funny yet cute appearance. When Alfie posed with him, he micked Jester so they looked alike. Harley gave a ferocious bark and Jester scampered off to go play with the other puppies while Alfie slowly backed away.

"Nice puppy", he chuckled nervously. But in her little leather vest and spiked collar, she looked anything but. She glared at the camera during her picture, and as did Patricia while flashing a 'rock on' symbol. Next was Plum. Nobody could really figure out what to do with him. Finally we agreed to give him a little bow tie and a jester hat. He looked at the camera with despair. When Jerome was up, he cradled the Plum while giving a little pout. Nerd.

Beck was dressed up in a little Jersey and had the two black stripes under his eyes. In his mouth was a little soccer ball. Mick held up his arms, showing his muscles to the camera while Beck got in a playful pose, his hind sticking up. It was too cute. Finally it was me and Alex. I was wearing a red, blue, and black plaid shirt with a black v-neck under and a grey beanie (the Coldplay-style ones). I had no idea what to do. Suddenly Amber came down with a beanie and a dog tag necklace she grabbed off my drawer. We put them on Alex as well as a superman cape that everyone else insisted on and she looked up at the camera with big, adorable eyes. In our pictures, I took a regular one with a smile (as did everyone else) and then one where I was holding her up in front of my face and we were gazing into each others' eyes as well as one with us both smirking at the camera. I also got one with Spark. She was lying on the floor and I was lying next to her with my hands cupping my chin. Finally we got a house (well, minus Joy) photo with all the puppies and Spark.

Well, all good things had to come to an end. After a fun day at the park, Charnette and Kaysea came to pick up the puppies. Fabian's cousin came later on to pick up all the stuff. As we were loading up all the accessories, I spotted Nina's locket. I quickly grabbed it and stuffed it into my pocket. Good thing I spotted it. That locket in the wrong hands could lead to some serious trouble.

As I was taking the path to the back door, the locket began to glow a bright red and suddenly I saw a bunch of ghosts. They all had inhuman faces. It was like a bare skull but with a thin, extremely pale layer of skin. Instead of eyes they had holes filled with darkness and a nose like Voldemort's. Yes, a British person _can _make a Harry Potter reference. They all charged violently at me, trying to get at the locket. But even with a crazy headache, I swiped wildly at them, shielding the locket, not thinking about the fact that they couldn't touch it because they were, well, ghosts. They let out an earsplitting shriek. I desperately covered my ears as tight as I could, but it still left me reeling while the ghosts faded away. I stood up, staggering from that noise. As I pulled my hands away, I noticed they were soaked in blood. What the heck is going on?


	23. Chapter 23: Losing Control

KayDee-DesignerExtrodinaire- I know right? Haha when they introduced Poppy I was like "Really? You're kidding me right?" anyways thanks for the awesome review 3

I will be following through with a couple storylines from the show, but will still have most likely a different mystery and Trudy will stay. Because Trudy's awesome. Yeah.

**Who do you guys think she'll have a crush on? **

**- Read the summary at the top from last chapter **

"Nina! Fabian!" I screamed, running into the house. I ran by Amber and Alfie hugging. Amber saw the blood coming out of my ears and her bright blue eyes widened. I barely had time to acknowledge her before running upstairs to get Nina and Fabian. I slammed right into Mick.

"Watch it squirt!" he said in an angry/ slightly amused tone. I got up and tried to run past him, but he grabbed my arm and pulled me back.

"Mick let me go!" I pleaded.

"What's going on? Why are your ears covered in blood?" he asked, his grip really firm but not to the point where he wasn't hurting me.

"I don't know. Something just happened. I need to talk to Nina and Fabian", I yelled, wrenching my arm out of his grip and running into my room. I saw Nina and Fabian curled up on Nina's bed watching a movie. They looked up startled when they heard the door slam behind me. Before looking at me, Fabian quickly shoved Nina off the bed. Once he saw it was only me, he relaxed. Until he saw my bloody ears and hands.

"What happened to you?" he asked.

Nina stood up. "Fabian, what the heck was tha-" she froze when she saw me.

"I don't know what happened. I was loading up all the puppy accessories and then, I saw your necklace so I grabbed it to give back to you. But then…" I trailed off as I heard a faint screeching noise. It was like the awful noise that hurt me so bad, but less intense. Suddenly, the volume just kept turning up until I was back on the floor, the thick red blood streaming out of my ears. My eyes were squeezed shut in pain so I couldn't see if those monster things were back, but I could definitely hear them. I grabbed the glowing locket and chucked against the wall. "STOP!" I screamed. As soon as the locket left my hands, it was all just instantly gone. I lay curled up on the floor clutching my ears.

"Hailey what happened? You just fell down screaming!" Nina yelled. She and Fabian were both really freaked out.

I scrambled to stand up. "I had your locket and these demons attacked me! They all screamed this terrible sound, and it just hurt so bad". I choked back a sob. Nina came over and hugged me while Fabian got a towel.

"It's gonna be alright. We'll figure this out", she cooed.

"Please don't ever make me touch that locket again", I begged. She nodded her head and Fabian came in with one wet and one dry towel. I wiped off my ears and hands with the wet one and used the dry one to slow down the slow trickle of blood still coming out of my ear. "I should probably go", I whispered. I walked into the living area where Mara and Jerome were watching a movie. And suddenly I was envious. They were normal. Well, Jerome was _far _from normal but Mara was. She had good grades, a boyfriend, and didn't have to deal with all the Anubis bullshit.

"I'm gonna go for a walk", I mumbled to them before walking out the door. A long time back, Jerome had taken Mara on a date at this little cliff area and asked me to play her some romantic songs for him. He took her in a nice little car, but I ran there. It was almost three miles, but I didn't care. I finally arrived there, out of breath. But my head was almost clear.

I plopped down on the grass, the shade of the abundance of trees behind me and the small gusts of wind keeping me cool from the shining sun. The bright and happy sun almost seemed to mock me. Today was supposed to be such a good day. I got to see Spark and puppies. We had a photoshoot. We spent the day as a house, laughing and joking like a family. And now, all this mystery crap has to come back and mess with us. I took a deep breath and lay down. Suddenly, my phone began to ring. Knowing it was either Nina, Fabian, or Jerome I picked it up.

"Hello?" I sigh.

"Hailey?" the voice said. I couldn't tell who it was.

"Yeah?" I asked warily.

"This is Rufus". Oh crap.

Overcome by a sudden rage at the bastard, I said into the phone with a scary calmness "listen, I'm not in the mood to deal with you and your bull right now".

"I was just calling to wish you a happy birthday sweetheart", he said. I could _hear_ the smirk in his voice.

"Don't do it again, dick", I shot back with an icy venom.

"Is that any way to talk to you great-grandpa?" he asked, trying to use the element of surprise. Well, it failed.

"You mean the great-grandpa who freaking kidnapped me?" I yelled in disbelief. He was so not pulling the family card on me.

He chuckled. "Well, at least I know where you got your ability to hold a grudge from".

"We may be related somehow, but we will never be family. I am not like you in any way, nor do I wish to be".

"No matter your wishes. You know who you are. It's in your genes. Anyways, happy birthday great-grandaughter", he said, his tone becoming serious before hanging up. I chucked my phone against the tree. Fortunately, the case protected it from damage. But still. Who did he think he was, being able to call me again? As all the emotions settled in, I began a slow walk back to the house. Halfway through, a light drizzle began coming down. I didn't care. I walked on. I just kept walking until I got home. For once I ignored everything around me. I just wanted to be home, where I could be as far away from Rufus mentally as possible.

I walked through the door and into the dining room a split second before I heard most of the house rushing to dinner. As we were all sitting and chatting, Mick suddenly stood up, tapping a spoon against his glass.

"Everyone, I have an announcement to make". We all looked up at him, in shock. Mick never had announcements. Taking our silence as a sign to continue, he spoke. "I'm moving to Australia. My whole family is moving there and I got accepted into one of the most prestigious sports academies in the world. I hope you understand". He gave us a sheepish look. Everyone was silent. Sure Mick didn't really have a good friend in the house, but we all cared about him. At that point, nobody really knew what to say.

Finally, Amber broke the awkward silence. "This means going-away party!"

We all broke a small smile over her party enthusiasm. Fabian just patted Mick on the back, and we all began asking about his new sports academy. The one question on my mind was if we'd be getting a new housemate.

**Really interested in knowing who you think which Anubis housemate she'll start to have a crush on!**

**-Read the summary at the top from the last chapter for explanation. **


End file.
